2023 Photo Contest Winners for Kansas

Jim Richardson is a photographer for National Geographic Magazine and a contributing editor for its sister publication, Traveler Magazine. Richardson has photographed more than fifty stories for National Geographic. 

Richardson's work has taken him around the world, from the tops of volcanic peaks to below the surface of the soil that provides our food, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and many places in between.  

In addition to his color photography, Richardson has built a distinguished body of black-and-white documentary work about rural Kansas life.

In 2015, his fellow National Geographic photographers honored him as their “Photographer’s Photographer.” And in 2017, Kansas State University bestowed an honorary doctorate for his work in cultural and environmental communications. He is co-founder of Eyes On Earth, an educational collaborative seeking to inspire next-generation environmental photographers.

Douglas Spale is an attorney for the US Army Corps of Engineers and is based in Kansas City. Spale devotes his skills toward advancing awareness and appreciation for the outdoors. He writes for various publications, including Ducks Unlimited Magazine, Pheasants Forever Magazine, and GearJunkie, about his adventures with his dogs chasing various upland and waterfowl species across the country. 

Meleda Lowry has been a trustee of The Nature Conservancy’s Kansas Chapter since 2011. Meleda earned a bachelor’s degree in Professional Photographic Illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology, and subsequently worked in New York City as a professional photographer under the name Meleda Wegner Photography. She specialized in both editorial and commercial content and co-authored the book The Best of Nature Photography (2003). Her many photography credits include The New York Times, Interior Design, and Colonial Living. Meleda lives with her husband John and their dog Gibson.