WASHINGTON, DC—We’re putting the forest in focus. The national Office of Communication is rolling out a monthly employee photo contest!

Do you get out of the office for work? Do you get out and play on the lands you protect? We want the world to see what you see. If you have a habit of snapping photos when you’re out and about, share them with us.

At the beginning of the month, we’ll announce a new theme here, Inside the Forest Service. Photos should be submitted by the last day of each month.

Submit photos to sm.fs.digitalmedia@usda.gov. Photos must include the photographer’s name, photo title and a caption that tells us who, what, where, when, and why. The email’s subject line should be: PHOTO CONTEST SUBMISSION, SUBJECT, MONTH, YEAR.

This May, “What’s the buzz?” Send your best pictures of flowers and pollinators.

In June, share your “Tell-trail signs” of great recreation. Send us photos of recreation on your national forests and grasslands.

All photos must be original work. No third party may own or control any materials the photo contains, and the photo must not infringe upon the trademark, copyright, moral rights, intellectual rights, or rights of privacy of any entity or person. Contest rules:

• Photo must be in its original state and cannot be altered in any way except for cropping and minor color correction.
• Submit photos at the highest resolution possible. 300 dpi with 3,000 pixels on the long side of the image are needed for print products within the Forest Service.
• Include title and caption. Help people understand the who, what, where, when and why of a photo. This helps when captioning an image in a publication, on a website or on social media. 
• Name the photo with the date the photo was taken, FS, the photographer’s initials and any respective photo number (YYYYMMDD-FS-Initials-Number).
• Attach your photo to the email with the noted file name rather than embedding it in the email message.
• Send photos from your USDA email address, not your personal email.
• Entries will be judged by the Washington Office feature lead for the month. All decisions are final. Even if your photo isn’t selected as the winner of any given month, the Washington Office still may use the photo at the national level for other purposes. 
• We love pictures of people. Images of adults taken on Forest Service land do not require a release form, but please ensure that all people approve their appearance in your photos. Photographs of minors (under age 18) require a minor's release form signed by the parents or guardians.
• By entering the contest, entrants agree that photos submitted will be considered USDA Forest Service photos, which will make them public domain. 
• Winning photos will be highlighted on the Forest Service website and on the Forest Service’s national Flickr site.
• The winner will be contacted via the email address provided during entry.

Give your favorite places some exposure by submitting an entry each month. We look forward to seeing what develops.