Winners named for Southern Delaware Photography Contest

Southern Delaware Tourism recently announced the winners of its 2021 photography contest.

Wendy Weiss of Frankford took the grand prize with her shot of seagulls on a bay beach as the sunset casts orange hues in the background.

Lifestyles category winner was Jill Oliver of Frankford with her capture of a young son following in his father’s footsteps to explore the marsh at Holts Landing.

With a stunning closeup of a blue heron standing at the water’s edge in Lewes, Jeremy Smeltzer of Millsboro won the wildlife category.

A colorful collection of seashells on her local beach netted the souvenirs category win for Kira Kaplinski of South Bethany.

Southern Delaware Tourism received hundreds of entries between Jan. 1 and March 12.

Contest organizers said they are extremely grateful for the support of tourism partners who contributed contest prizes, and for the work of Karl Teel, Recreation News Media Group president, in judging the entries. With more than 25 years of experience as a professional travel writer, Teel has journeyed through 80 foreign countries and 46 states. In addition to his writings, his collection of travel photographs from these trips exceeds 100,000 in number. As publisher of Recreation News, his exposure to the work of hundreds of other travel writers and photographers has helped him gain a discerning eye and an appreciation for the talents and styles of other photojournalists.

“The contest was established to celebrate Southern Delaware and to keep our destination top of mind for visitors and potential visitors year-round,” said Scott Thomas, Southern Delaware Tourism executive director. “We received entries from all over the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. The entries clearly demonstrate the variety and richness of experiences available in Sussex County and the incredible enjoyment people get from visiting and living here.”