Perhaps there is no more beautiful a picture than that of the horse, and organizers of Wild Horse Adoption Awareness are launching a photography contest that will capture the beauty of America’s mustang either in the wild or as an adopted animal.

“There are a number of professional and amateur photographers across the country who have captured amazing images of America’s wild horse population in one of the herd management areas, as well as with adopters in these beautiful photographs,” said spokesperson Julie Bryant. “Wild Horse Adoption Awareness wants to share their talents, but more importantly, the beauty of these animals with the public and help folks realize what a treasure these animals truly are.” Four to five photographs will be selected from each category for use in a 16-month National Wild Horse Adoption Calendar to be produced for 2011. All finalist photographs will appear in the calendar on a single panel with the photographer’s name, city and state and age, if appropriate. Top Ten finalists in each category will receive a 2011 National Wild Horse Adoption calendar along with a certificate indicating their achievement. A cash grand prize will be offered in each category: Professional, $250; Amateur, $150; and Youth, $100 cash. The contest begins on March 1, 2010 at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern and concludes on April 31, 2010 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Finalists will be announced on or about June 15, 2010 and the grand-prize winners will be announced on or about July 1, 2010. The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia in the following categories: Professional – Adults 18 years of age or older who engage in professional photography and who receive remuneration for the sale of photographs to the public or private parties; Amateur – Adults 18 years of age or older who engage in photography as a hobby and do not receive remuneration the sale of photographs to the public or private parties; and Youth: Youth age 17 and under as of January 1, 2010.

Entry can be made and photographs uploaded at adoptawildhorse.com. There is no entry fee. The groups supporting National Wild Horse Adoption Day, in addition to the BLM, include Wild Horses 4 Ever, the American Horse Protection Association, the Mustang Heritage Foundation and The Humane Society of the United States.

“Certainly, a private group being able to assist in lowering government spending is a coup,” said Bryant. “However, more importantly, these wild horses have found their way into homes where people will see to their needs on an individual daily basis.” Nearly 33,000 mustangs roam federal lands across the West. In order to manage the herds and maintain both land and herd health, the Bureau of Land Management oversees the adoption of wild horses and burros through public adoptions held throughout the United States. Since 1973, more than 220,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted. For more information regarding the National Wild Horse Adoption Initiative, call 512-869-3225 or go to adoptawildhorse.com.