The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced the winners of the 2020 Missouri DNR Photo Contest. 

Each year, the department asks amateur photographers to get outside and capture the beauty of Missouri’s natural resources and enter their favorite photos in the annual photo contest.

Entries can include images from anywhere in Missouri, featuring its beautiful natural resources, unique state parks, natural phenomena, outdoor recreation, scenic landscapes, weather, wildlife and people enjoying the outdoors.

The response this year was tremendous with more than 600 captivating entries from 302 photographers.

The winning photos can be viewed on the photo contest website at dnr.mo.gov/photocontest and will be shared on the department’s social media platforms.

Natural Resources Category:

First Place: "The Milky Way Over the Current River" by Joe Howard of St. Louis
Second Place: "The Golden Path" by Dean M. Ryan-Simmons of St. Louis
Third Place: "Nightfall at Hughes Mountain" by Justin Goodson of St. Louis
Honorable Mention: "Sunset Over Lake Taneycomo" by Craig B. Smith of Forsyth

People Enjoying Missouri’s Natural Resources Category:

First Place: "Brothers" by Terri Kelly of Princeton
Second Place: "Creek Jumping" by John Corn of Centerview
Third Place: "Fishing for Crawdads with Papa" by Nancy VanDover of Wildwood
Honorable Mention: “Cave Spring Silhouette" by Bryon Striebeck of Moscow Mills

 Unique Places Category:

First Place: Along the Watchtower" by Devin Darrell of O’Fallon
Second Place: "Springtime Waterfalls at Don Robinson" by Joe Howard of St. Louis
Third Place: "Wonderland" by Roxanna Cummings of Farmington
Honorable Mention: “Sunrise at Ha Ha Tonka" by Raymond Huddleston of Lebanon
Amateur photographers of all ages may enter the Missouri DNR Photo Contest hosted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The contest runs April 1 through Oct. 1.

For more information about the Missouri DNR Photo Contest, visit  dnr.mo.gov/photocontest or emailsocialmedia@dnr.mo.gov.

More From KIX 105.7