Buckingham resident Maggie Williams was awarded best overall photo in the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ (VASWCD) inaugural photo contest.

The contest had more than 100 submissions, VASWCD officials said.

The theme for the contest was “what conservation looks like to you.”

Williams, who had other photos win honorable mentions, said it was her mother who gave her a flyer announcing the contest.

Williams, who purchased her first pre-professional Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera two years ago, has enjoyed photography and recording the nature around her property near Scottsville, along with her two young children.

Williams said she snapped the photos last summer and early this year as her son, Sterling, now 5, and daughter, Aselin, soon to be 3, were playing in the backyard.

Williams has a several-acre property with a few chickens and woodland with a trail through the forest.

“Being a busy mother myself, the flyer sat forgotten about for quite some time,” Williams said. “One day while my children were napping, I rediscovered it and decided to spend some time submitting my entries.”

The winner was announced this year, and Williams received a one-year pass to all Virginia State Parks from VASWCD and $100 from Peter Francisco Soil and Water Conservation District.

“It was an honor and a pleasant surprise to place at all in this contest, let alone to receive the title of Overall Winner,” Williams said. “Photography brings me great joy and energy, so it was an absolute thrill to learn that other people are enjoying my work too.”

VASWCD Executive Director Kendall Tyree said the photos Williams took would be featured in the VASWCD 2018 calendar. She said Williams had previously been a scholarship recipient from the Peter Francisco Soil and Water Conservation District.

“Maggie’s photo that received top honors titled ‘Potential’ not only focuses on the value of our natural resources but highlights the importance of education and awareness,” Tyree said. “Her portrayal shows us the love of our great outdoors through the eyes of a child and the potential embedded in our work for the next generation.”

Williams said the aim of the photos were to not only record her family’s interaction with nature, but to inspire others to connect with the beauty around them.

“I hope that folks will see not only the beauty of the environment in the images that I captured, but also see the potential in our natural environment,” Williams said. “It is a place for play, for learning (and) for life. I hope my photographs will inspire others to develop their own conservation practices, whether it be raising backyard chickens, planting a pollinator’s garden or teaching their children to immerse themselves in nature.”