02/12/17

Winners 2016 Photo Contests

Frogs Are Green thanks photographers from around the world for entering our annual two contests, Frogs in the Wild and Backyard Frogs.

The entries were creative, exceptional and came in from our own New Jersey, states around the USA, and countries such as Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Australia.

We thank the judges for their selections and applaud their effort.

Winners of the 2016 Frogs in the Wild Photo Contest

1st Place: Juan David Fernandez, Hypsiboas punctatus, Colombia
2nd Place: Ronald Zimmerman, Reticulated Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium valerioi) from Costa Rica.
3rd Place: Sebastian Di Domenico, Hypsiboas picturatus, Ecuador

Honorable Mentions:
Juan David Fernandez, Dendrobates truncatus, yellow-striped poison frog, Colombia
Sebastian Moreno, Oophaga histrionica, Colombia

 

Winners of the 2016 Backyard Frogs Photo Contest

1st Place: Hannah Sigler, Williamsburg, Iowa, Tree frog
2nd Place: Melville Osborne, late season Gray Tree Frog, Roxbury Township, Morris County, NJ
3rd Place: Nic Crampton, Green-Eyed Tree Frog, Litoria serrata, Queensland, Australia

Honorable Mentions:
Melville Osborne, Gray Tree Frog, New Jersey
Ewelina Zjezdzalka, frog from the Canary Islands

12/4/14

Building Reach, Near and Far

We know that if we build a web presence with the right SEO (search engine optimization) over time we will reach those who are searching for what we are offering.

But what if your target audience isn’t looking for what you’re doing? How can we reach them?

This is the 5th year of the Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest, so naturally those who have entered in the past are aware and may enter again. In addition, some parents and kids in countries around the world may be watching what other countries are doing and then get into the action as well. In the past 5 years we have received thousands of entries from more than 27 countries! When people are looking for something specific on the web and the right SEO is in place, those pages are found.

For example, Hong Kong has entered many beautiful artworks over the past few years, but this year in addition to the entries from China, we received entries from Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Last year we received some amazing art from Estonia, and this year from England, Ireland, Denmark, and Romania. Information can spread to new areas when we consistently push it out there and when the public is actively looking for it and then shares it, pushing it even further.

But the question today is how do we reach the ones nearby?

kids drawing frogs in park jersey city

The answer is by introducing people to real-time situations where they are learning new things. If we want children who live in urban areas to understand nature and why saving frogs is important, we need to bring them to the source, yes bring them to nature. How can we expect children who live in urban environments to care about wildlife when it is somewhat foreign to them? This is why many classrooms today have class pets. So children can be directly involved in the health and well-being of those animals. But there is nothing better than showing them the animals’ true habitat.

Last Spring, Frogs Are Green made a presentation to 60 first-graders at the Learning Community Charter School in Jersey City, showing them both frog art from around the world and a slideshow of some of the most unusual frogs. They learn about frogs and amphibians as part of their school curriculum and they already knew quite a bit and were very enthusiastic about the topic.

During 2014 we developed a new six-week curriculum, “Frogs, Amphibians and their Threatened Environment – Discovery and Expression through Art” which is available for download, under the education tab on our website.

During the summer and early fall, we had set up tables at quite a few community fairs and events so children could stop by, sit down and draw frogs with the art supplies we laid out. Children love to create and don’t need that much encouragement once engaged. They just need the right guidance from teachers and parents. We also know that children love animals. Many have pets at home, but it’s not the same as seeing those animals in nature.

If we want children to care about nature, we must show it to them, through field trips and when they see the real thing it will lead them to care what happens in the future.

What’s cool is that even in urban areas there are parks, such as our own Liberty State Park. Imagine the fantastic discovery students might have by seeing everything from frogs to birds, and more if they just went there with an educator.

We see a sharing cycle of teachers educating children, who bring that information home and tell their parents, who then share that with other parents, who share it with their kids and on to community leaders.

The key is getting those sparks of information and creativity started in the right places and making sure the people you want to reach are receiving it.

by Susan Newman, founder

12/15/10

Announcing the Winners of the 2010 Frogs Are Green Photo Contest

First off, we would like to thank all the photographers who entered the 2010 FROGS ARE GREEN photo contest. We were thrilled to receive your entries, and it was difficult to pick a winner. We hope you will continue your adventures as amphibian photographers and enter next year’s photo contest!

This year we accepted photos in two categories: frogs in the wild and backyard frogs.

FROGS IN THE WILD
WINNER: Adam Paine

Mourning Frogs in South Carolina by Adam Paine

Photo of Mourning Frogs in South Carolina by Adam Paine

We chose this photo because it is unusual and compelling.

Adam writes of the photo, “These frogs were found along the Pocotaligo River in South Carolina. It seems as if the mother frog had recently passed away from unknown causes. I had never seen this deep of an emotion showed in the Reptilian Kingdom before.”

HONORABLE MENTION: Christine Murphy

Camouflaged Toad in Josephine County, Oregon.

Photo of Camouflaged Toad in Josephine County, Oregon by Christine Murphy

We liked this well-composed photo of a handsome toad camouflaged on tree bark.

BACKYARD FROGS

WINNER: Christine Murphy

Winner of the Frogs Are Green 2010 Backyard Frogs Photo Contest

Photo by Christine Murphy in Josephine County, Oregon.

We chose this photo of a frog on a fence because of its strong composition.

HONORABLE MENTION: Theresa Walters

Singing Toad photo by Theresa Walters, Tionesta, PA. USA

Singing Toad photo by Theresa Walters, Tionesta, PA. USA - Honorable Mention

We liked this photo of a male toad serenading a female toad in a backyard pond.

Theresa writes, “I found this singing toad in my backyard pond, in Tionesta, PA, standing on an artificial water lily. He was so involved in “singing” for a female, he didn’t even know I was there!”

PRIZES:
The winners will receive a Frogs Are Green t-shirt or poster of his/her choice or we can design a special t-shirt and/or poster with your winning photo. Honorable mention photographers will receive our small Red-Eyed Tree Frog poster.

10/26/10

FROGS ARE GREEN Kids' Art Contest and 2010 Photo Contest Reminder

Just a reminder that you still have time to

enter our Kids’ Art Contest and Photo Contest!

2010 Frogs Are Green Kids’ Art Contest

Design by Susan Newman | Illustration by Paul Zwolak

Contest theme: IT IS EASY BEING GREEN!

Your artwork can be about frogs and how we can help them, or it can be about ways we can be green at home, at school, or in the community.

Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2010 and the winner will be announced December 15, 2010. The winner will be featured in a post and his or her artwork will be used to create a poster for the campaign. The winner will also receive 2 copies of this new poster. All other kids who enter will receive a FROGS ARE GREEN (eco-friendly) wristband.

We’re looking for drawings, paintings, sculpture, collage, or whatever format helps you express yourself. Send your digital files or photographs of the objects to us at info@frogsaregreen.com. The files should be no larger than 3MB each. We will accept the original drawings, but please ship with a tracking number for safety, the address is on our contact page.

Download this flyer to post for your kids at home or at school.

We can’t wait to see your artwork!

2010 Frogs Are Green Photo Contest

This year we will be accepting submissions in two categories: Frogs in the Wild and Backyard Frogs. Backyard Frog photos would include such photos as a frog perched on your picnic table or other unusual place. Last year, for example, we received a photo of a frog sitting on a pool hose. Frogs in the Wild photos, on the other hand, should feature frogs, toads, or other amphibians in their natural habitat: frog ponds, marshes, in the woods, and so on.

PLEASE—no photo manipulation and no photos of pet frogs. Please do not move the frog to get a better photo. Photos of amphibians of all kinds, including salamanders, will be accepted. E-mail all photos to us at Frogs Are Green. All photos should be in jpeg format and no larger than 3 MB. Please name your photo a short but distinctive name (with no spaces, such as, “susan-frog-NJ.jpg”) and include a caption detailing your name, email and the location of the photo. All entries must be received by November 30, 2010. Winners will be announced December 15, 2010.

PRIZES

Winner:

The winner will receive a Frogs Are Green t-shirt or poster of his/her choice or we can design a special t-shirt and/or poster with your winning photo. The photo will be featured in a separate post and the photo will also appear on the front page of the blog all year.

Honorable mentions:

Honorable mention photos will appear in a gallery on our blog and the photographers will receive our small Red-Eyed Tree Frog poster.

07/5/10

FROGS ARE GREEN 2010 Photo Contest!

We’re excited to announce the 2nd Annual FROGS ARE GREEN Photo contest!

Here are the rules:

This year we will be accepting submissions in two categories: Frogs in the Wild and Backyard Frogs. Backyard Frog photos would include such photos as a frog perched on your picnic table or other unusual place. Last year, for example, we received a photo of a frog sitting on a pool hose. Frogs in the Wild photos, on the other hand, should feature frogs, toads, or other amphibians in their natural habitat: frog ponds, marshes, in the woods, and so on.

PLEASE—no photo manipulation and no photos of pet frogs. Please do not move the frog to get a better photo. Photos of amphibians of all kinds, including salamanders, will be accepted. E-mail all photos to us at Frogs Are Green. All photos should be in jpeg format and no larger than 3 MB. Please name your photo a short but distinctive name, (with no spaces, such as, “susan-frog-NJ.jpg”) and include a caption detailing your name, email and the location of the photo. All entries must be received by September 15, 2010. Winners will be announced October 4, 2010.

PRIZES

Winner:

The winner will receive a Frogs Are Green t-shirt or poster of his/her choice or we can design a special t-shirt and/or poster with your winning photo. The photo will be featured in a separate post and the photo will also appear on the front page of the blog all year.

Honorable mentions:

Honorable mention photos will appear in a gallery on our blog and the photographers will receive our small Red-Eyed Tree Frog poster.

SOME TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING AMPHIBIANS

For those of you who have never photographed an amphibian, here are some tips from the book Frogs: A Chorus of Colors by John and Deborah Behler, which has a chapter on photographing these elusive and well-camouflaged creatures:

• Try to learn about the animal first. What is its habitat? When are they active?
• Walk slowly and stop frequently (it helps to have someone with you who is less than 3 feet tall and has sharp eyes). Frogs and toads blend in so well that they are hard to find. Be alert for subtle movements.
• In summer, you might find the sit-and-wait frog predators hanging out on the edges of ponds and lakes.
• Be aware of the position of the sun. Avoid taking pictures at midday on bright sunny days. In the morning, face east and it will keep sunlight from coming into your lens and washing out your photos.
• Don’t necessarily put the subject in the middle of the photo. Keep the whole animal in the photo, but compose the picture so the background tells a story.
• Bracket your photos, i.e., take the same shot with different settings. Also, try taking a flash photo. Without a flash, animals in photos may look lifeless and poorly lighted.
• Try to be on the same level as your subject.
• State parks, bird sanctuaries, and wildlife refuges are good places to find amphibians.

You don’t need fancy equipment. I took this photo of a bullfrog in low light with a Kodak EasyShare camera on the Flower Setting (close up).

Bullfrog, photo by Mary Jo Rhodes

On your travels this summer, keep your eye peeled for our froggy friends and send in your photos!