COLUMBUS, Ohio — Of course there’s a lot to do at the Ohio State Fair this year. You have food, rides, activities for the whole family.

What You Need To Know

  • The ODNR is displaying art and photography contest winners at the state fair
  • They're on display at Natural Resources Park

  • They received more than 600 photo submissions and 27 art submissions

But, thanks to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, you’ll be able to check out some outstanding art on display at Natural Resources Park. ODNR is displaying the top entries in their photography and art contests this year, according to a press release.

For the photography category, ODNR says they received more than 600 photos, choosing winners from six categories including Daryl Mummey, who won the Best in Show for a photo of an angler ice fishing.

This photo from Daryl Mummey won the Best in Show category. (Courtesy ODNR)

Here’s the full list of winners for photography, according to the release:

  • “Wildlife Watching: Matt Boarman, of Akron, captured a red fox crossing a fallen tree on a colorful autumn day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Summit County)
  • Pursuit of the Harvest: Mike Evers’ photo shows a young hunter carrying a harvested wild turkey and a shotgun in Meigs County. Evers is from St. Henry
  • The Art of Fishing: Joe Banker, of Parma, photographed a walleye under Lake Erie’s surface pursuing a lure near Edgewater Beach (Cuyahoga County)
  • Birds and Birding: The winning image from Bob Clark, from Oak Harbor, features a short-eared owl perched on a tree branch on a snowy day at Howard Marsh Metropark (Lucas County)
  • Lake Erie Fishing: Two-time winner Daryl Mummey’s photo shows a vibrant red and orange sky while Mummey kayak fishes in Lake County at sunset
  • Extreme Close-Up: A midland mud salamander gazes upward in the winning photograph by Aidan McCarthy, from Fairfax, Va., at Tar Hollow State Forest, in Ross County”

A total of five winners were picked out of 27 submissions for the ODNR’s inaugural art show, the release states. It included various mediums. The winner of Best in Show was Shelby Drake, for her digital illustration of a great horned owl’s eye.

This digital illustration by Shelby Drake won Best in Show. (Courtesy ODNR)

Here’s the other winners for art, according to the release:

  • “Director’s Choice: ODNR Director Mary Mertz selected Sophie Reeder, age 15, of Franklin County, as the winner for a block print of a great blue heron
  • Chief’s Choice: Chief Kendra Wecker awarded the Chief’s Choice to Ava Schlotterbeck, age 17, of Licking County for an oil painting of a blue-winged warbler
  • Designer’s Choice: A mixed media piece showing a sandhill crane, by Kathryn Brekas, age 14, of Warren County, was selected as the Designer’s Choice
  • Honorable Mention: A watercolor pencil drawing of a Blackburnian warbler by Ethan Falkinburg, age 19, of Lorain County, was awarded the honorable mention”

The state fair runs from July 24 to Aug. 4.