I am pleased to announce that I will be working with Cindy and Alexa of Oceans 4 Ever during their Summer Sharktakular! The week of July 19th will be dedicated to shark conservation education. As with most things involving Oceans 4 Ever, a major component of the SharkTakular is a contest- specifically a shark conservation photo contest. Here are the rules:

1) Make a sign or banner with a shark conservation message (something as simple as “save the sharks” is fine, but you are encouraged to make your own). Nothing promoting racism or violence will be accepted.

2) Take a photograph that includes you and your sign. The background is up to you, but be creative!

3) E-mail the photo to me (WhySharksMatter AT Gmail DOT com) before 5:00 p.m. eastern standard time on Monday, July 12. Your e-mail MUST include the information listed below in order to be eligible to win.

A) Your name (first name and last initial is acceptable if you have privacy concerns), hometown, and occupation (if student, please list your grade).

B)  This sentence- “I give David Shiffman permission to display this photograph on Southern Fried Science and in possible future not-for-profit shark conservation initiatives”

C) A sentence or two about why you care about sharks and why they should be protected.

4) All photos will be displayed on Southern Fried Science. They will be voted on by a panel of judges that includes myself, Cindy, Alexa and other ocean bloggers and famous shark-o-philes.

5) The winners will be announced on Oceans 4 Ever on July 23 at noon eastern standard time.

Anyone (no age or location restrictions) is eligible to enter. Tell your friends!

Here are the fabulous prizes you could win!

1st place will have a WildAid anti-finning billboard in China donated in their name (value- $100)

2nd place will win an Iemanya Oceanica Adopt-A-Shark packet (value- $50)

3rd place will win a Southern Fried Science “Sharks Matter” water bottle (value- $25)

~WhySharksMatter