The purpose of this Tournament is to raise awareness for the Florida Right to Clean Water citizens' initiative. The need for a constitutional amendment giving Floridians the fundamental right to clean and healthy waters has been growing significantly over the last few decades of state-sanctioned harm. It's the legal tool we need for state agency accountability, so future generations of anglers and water-lovers will be able to enjoy the paradise we used to have here in Florida. Let's all do what we can to help.

Now let's see our tournament entries! Click on any and scroll through these beautiful shots with important, inspirational captions:

Florida Fins & Frames
The Florida Right to Clean Water Fish Pic Tournament

A) The right to clean water is so important to me because the ecosystem is slowly diminishing populations of fish, and seagrasses are becoming less and less! All from MANMADE pollution. So much money is made off of these waters and not enough is put back into it. I want generations and generations to be able to enjoy the same things I did!

B) The Right to Clean Water means the Right to Clean Food. For him.

C) Without clean water the fishery would die. Not long following, so will we.

D) I love our fishery & hope it can stay healthy for future generations.

E) Without clean water, clean breeding grounds, and clean estuaries, we will no longer have an environment to catch fish.

F) Right to clean water is important to me because the water is my second home. I grew up running around chasing fish just like this one.

G) Clean water is important not just to me, but to our fisheries. I want my son to enjoy fishing in the future, just as I do now. Our planet deserves our respect, let's give it.

H) Clean water gives the fish a healthier environment to live in and helping to keep it clean ensures the future of many species.

I) The Right to Clean water is important because water is life. We need water only second to air. It hydrates us, cools us, feeds us, and it even transports us. Water is life.

J) The Right to Clean Water is so important to me -- so we can preserve the water habitat for our children and future anglers and provide them with a better fishery than we have.

K) So we can maintain and up keep God's creatures and ensure that our children’s children can enjoy the passion we do.

L) It is important to keep our water and aquatic life flourishing, clean, and healthy because a lot of people depend on water and marine life to stay alive.

M) The right to clean water matters to me because it is a livelihood that I have lived in since I was knee high! Any time we as anglers can clean up the waters it is important to do so and protect our wildlife, it matters to us to protect the waters because of those that are careless on the environments that they harm.

N) Clean water brings more fish to strengthen the fishing industry.

O) So we can pass on our traditions and protect our wildlife.

P) Because of father and daughter moments like this!

Q) So we can protect these beauties!

R) Fishing is a way of life for me. My grandfather, my dad and all my family before me have lived this way of life, too, and I love it with everything I have. The Right to Clean Water protects all the resources that are important to keep living this way of life.

S) The right to clean water keeps the ecosystem healthy and allows the fish to thrive for the up and coming generations!

T) The right to clean water is so important to me because it is what my family used to survive on. My great grandpa had a fish camp on the St. John’s river where he caught catfish and sold them to local markets. He raised a family of 11 all supported from this fish camp. The land I live on today is because my great grandpa had a clean waterway to make a living on. I’ve seen our rivers and waterways change so much over the last years. The right to clean water is a must.

***NOTICE OF CHANGE***

The time for public voting has been extended through the month of September.

RULES for the Tournament:

1. Eligibility. The Tournament is open to all residents of the State of Florida, any age. Participants must have a valid fishing license to participate or proper exemption.

2. Registration. Registration is automatic when participants submit their pictures & captions through the online form below. Registration is free of charge, as is participation.

3. Catch, Photo, Release (CPR) method encouraged, not mandatory. For participants choosing CPR, all fish caught must be handled with care and released back into the water immediately after the photo is taken. CPR is not mandatory.

4. Duration. The Tournament will run through August 31st, 2023, with finalists and winners being announced in early and mid-September, respectively. (***CHANGE: SOON AFTER PUBLIC VOTING FINISHES ON SEPTEMBER 30TH.***)

5. Picture. Images should capture at least one person holding the featured fish with the water from which it was caught in the background. Only pictures submitted through the online form below will be considered. Each participant can submit up to three pictures.

a. Pictures must be taken during the tournament timeframe and should feature live, healthy fish of the following species: Redfish, Speckled Sea Trout, Flounder, Tarpon, Snook, Mangrove Snapper, or Large Mouth Bass.

b. This Tournament will feature pictures taken by smartphone cameras or consumer-grade digital cameras only. Participants may not use professional-grade equipment / cameras for taking pictures.

c. The use of photo-editing software, including but not limited to Photoshop or color-enhancing "filters," is strictly prohibited. Only basic cropping and minor adjustments to brightness or contrast are allowed.

6. Caption. A caption to accompany the photo is required, answering the question: "Why is (the Right to) Clean Water so important to you?" There is a 500-character limit in the form. Feel free to ask your friends on social media for their thoughts, as your caption can be heavily or entirely based on such collaboration. You can also provide a quote from someone you respect, with due credit. The important point is the resonating and persuasive nature of your message.

7. Judges and judging criteria. Judges will be a panel of professional photographers and fishing magazine editors, to be announced before the judging period begins. Aspects of submitted photos and captions include but are not limited to the aesthetic quality of the photo (lighting, background, color, creativity), fish handling portrayed in the photo, and the compelling nature of the photo + caption message.

8. Finalists. After the conclusion of the Tournament on August 31st, the top 20 submitted photos with captions will be decided by a panel of judges between September 1st and 8th. During this period of time, all entries will be displayed on this webpage. Judges will not have access to names of those submitting entries; only the picture and the caption.

9. Tournament Winner. The top 20 entries will be displayed on this webpage and voted on by members of the public between September 9th and 16th. Any tie(s) will be decided by the panel of judges. The winner will be announced soon after the public voting period ends. (***CHANGE: -- BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 9TH AND 30TH.)

10. Prizes. The Tournament Winner will receive an original painting by artist, Megan Robinson, of a Redfish, valued at $1,000. Any additional prizes donated to this Tournament will be announced accordingly. (Note, this Tournament is a partnership between the FL Right to Clean Water political committee, Genung's Fish Camp, and the FRONN Education Fund -- a 501c3, should donors wish to give to a charity organization.) The organizers of this Tournament reserve the right to create additional winning categories, and/or additional prize(s) to the Winner, depending on additional prizes received.

11. Publicity and image use. By registering in this Tournament, participants specifically grant organizers (limited to board members of the organization sponsoring the Florida Right to Clean Water initiative) the limited right to modify (such as cropping and editing) and use their submitted photos with captions on their website (FloridaRightToCleanWater.org), email correspondence, and/or social media platforms. The scope of consent to this use extends solely to promote the Tournament and advocacy for the Right to Clean Water, in general and specifically for the citizens' initiative to amend the Florida Constitution with the right to clean and healthy waters. No names or any other personal information will accompany such use without separate, explicit permission by the participant. No personal information collected in the online form will be used except for the strict purpose of corresponding with the participant. All such information will be handled not just in accordance with applicable data protection laws, but also with due care and confidentiality among organizers with a "need to know."

12. Promotion. All participants are encouraged to share their Tournament experiences on social media, promoting the importance of clean water, the constitutional amendment, and the need for everyone to sign the petition in order to qualify for the 2024 ballot. By "tagging" the official account of the Florida Right to Clean Water initiative on social media, participants consent to then being shared further on such official accounts. Note: The favorite "Bait / Tackle Shop" noted by the most number of participants will receive public recognition if not some sort of award / prize when the Tournament Winner(s) are announced.

Florida Fins & Frames
The Florida Right to Clean Water Fish Pic Tournament

Vote for your favorite entry!

Subscribe to receive updates by email

(Click here for the petition.)

Florida Fins & Frames The Florida Right to Clean Water Fish Pic Tournament

Vote for your favorite entry!

Subscribe to receive updates by email (Click here for the petition.)

Florida Fins & Frames
The Florida Right to Clean Water Fish Pic Tournament

Subscribe to receive updates by email

(Click here for the petition.)