Contested Photographs: My Submissions to the Smithsonian's 13th Annual Photo Contest (2015)

It seems that the Smithsonian's 13th Annual Photo Contest began accepting submissions on March 31, 2015.

I only learned about it a couple weeks ago, via an email from Smithsonian.com, likely by virtue of having registered to avail myself of their nationwide Free Museum Day promotion in late September.

Deadline for photo entries is tomorrow, November 30, 2015.

So, as I did through a rather quick but fun perusal of photos I took during 2015 that would fit into the six categories--Altered Images, Mobile, Natural World, People, The American Experience and Travel--hit them with your best shots at:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/photocontest/

Here are 15 photos that I submitted (of up to 90 allowed), not under any illusions that any--especially out of 25,000+ entries--likely qualifies as award winning, but among my favorites of 2015:

Cow with an Itch -- Category: Natural World; Taken July 2015 at Lambs Farm in Libertyville, IL

Hello Pretty Parrot -- Category: Natural World; Taken August 2015 at Jungle Island, Miami, FL

Flowers in Bloom -- Category: Natural World; Taken July 2015 at Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL

Waterfall Under the Bridge -- Category: Natural World;
Taken August 2015 at Anderson Japanese Gardens, Rockford, IL

Mexico City Drumbeat -- Category: People; Taken January 2015 in Mexico City

Aw, a Macaw and Awe -- Category: People; Taken August 2015 at Jungle Island, Miami, FL

The Beatles Ate Here -- Category: People; Taken August 22, 2015 at Margie's Candies
50 years to the day the Beatles ate the same Atomic Buster sundae in the same booth

Lunch at Superdawg -- Category: The American Experience; Taken May 2015 at Superdawg, Chicago, IL

Wave the W -- Category: The American Experience; Taken October 13, 2015 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
(The clinching Game 4 over the Cardinals in the NLDS)

The Train Kept A-Rolling, The Band Kept A-Rocking -- Category: The American Experience;
Taken April 2015 in Champaign, IL; performance by Lonely Trailer on Record Store Day (organized by Exile on Main Street)

Doorway to Vizcaya -- Category: Travel; Taken August 2015 at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Miami, FL

Balloon over Teotihuacan -- Category: Travel; Taken January 2015 at Teotihuacan, Mexico

Bethesda Fountain from Bethesda Terrace -- Category: Travel;
Taken March 2015 in Central Park, New York, NY

Water Glass -- Category: Mobile; Taken March 2015 at Jean-Georges restaurant, New York, NY

A Piece of Cake -- Category: Mobile; Taken Februray 2015 at Lutz Cafe & Pastry Shop, Chicago, IL

You should be able to see these, and/or thousands of other submitted photos, on the Smithsonian Photo Contest website.

All photos copyright 2015 by Seth Arkin. Please do not repost without permission and attribution.