The 2016 Sacred Groves Photography Contest is open until the end of this month, October 31st. The theme of the contest, held now for the ninth year in a row, is sacred natural (not man-made) sites: sacred groves and hills, water bodies, trees, stones and other natural objects, where people went to pray, heal, sacrifice and perform other rituals even well before the 20th century.

According to a public opinion survey, most Estonians highly value sacred groves and other natural shrines, and expect the government to protect them.

The seventh photo contest of Maavalla sacred natural sites drew entries from 11 countries, mainly from the Finno-Ugric peoples. The 1000 euro grand prize remained in Estonia. It was won by a photo titled “The Põhjatu Spring” taken at the sacred spring of Pähkla village on Saaremaa island, Estonia. The winning photo was shot by an amateur photographer Janno Loide of Tartu, Estonia, who succeeded to depict the sacred site in a manner that is both bewitching and true to nature.