View 31 amazing images of North Carolina and get a fresh perspective on our state when the Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh exhibits winning entries of the Wildlife in North Carolina 2008 Photo Competition.

Jared Lloyd, of Kitty Hawk, won the grand prize with his image of Tulls Creek in Currituck County at dawn, which graced the January cover of "Wildlife in North Carolina" magazine.

Currie Chavez, of West End, won honorable mention in the Youth 12 and Under category. Her photograph is of an ebony jewelwing (damselfly) taken at Weymouth Woods Park this summer.

Now in its fourth year, the Wildlife in North Carolina photo competition is intended to encourage high-quality nature photography and to identify talented wildlife photographers working in North Carolina.

This year's field totaled 6,368 photographs -- the largest number of entries to date -- submitted by 1,160 photographers, including 156 young nature photographers with entries in two youth categories.

The most popular subject was birds (1,069 entries); followed by invertebrates (919); peaks, valleys and plains (910); wild plants (809); reptiles and amphibians (660); animal behavior (615); outdoor recreation (576) and mammals (481).

The competition is a collaboration between the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and the N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation, with sponsorship by Great Outdoor Provision Co.

More information about this and future competitions can be found at www.ncwildlife.org.