Marie Selby Botanical Gardens hosts the only local photography competition that's left in the area. The competition, currently in its 38th year, comes with a show opening at the gardens Sept. 9. 

“All of the other ones that have been active either ceased or moved on,” manager of classes and exhibits Laura Avery, who attributes the competition’s longevity to the versatility of nature, says. “We have many amateur photographers that come to the garden and are inspired.”

Selby offers a rotating schedule of photography classes and even opens special areas of the garden for photographers that are not always available to the public. The 38th Annual Juried Photography Competition has several restrictions, the most important one being that the photos must be taken at Selby.

The competition receives hundreds of submissions that the selected jurors then whittle down into a gallery of a hundred or so photos, some of which receive prizes, that are on display in the gardens' Museum of Botany and the Arts from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sept. 9 to 30.