Due to the success of our Photo Calendar Contest in previous years, we’re going to give it another go this year!
We had some great entries last time, and hope to do even better this year. Get those cameras out early and get snapping! This year’s deadline will be October 31, 2023.
We ask that you submit your photographs as digital JPEG files (most common file types used by digital cameras), in as high a resolution as you can provide. Also, the preferable format for photos is “landscape”, or widescreen format, commonly used in most calendars.
Entries can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
MST Photo Calendar Contest Rules
Contest is open to all MST members in good standing. MST Directors and Contest judges are not eligible to enter competition.
Photos of any and all species of the kingdom Fungi are acceptable for submission.
There is a limit of three entries per member; a separate email shall be sent for each entry.
All entries shall be accompanied by name and contact information of the photographer. (Include location and identification if available).
Photographs shall be submitted in digital JPEG format, with higher resolutions more desirable, as well as “landscape” format to fit the layout.
Electronic filename of each photo shall be in the following format: Name of submitter-Species name.jpg (For example: John Smith-Boletus edulis.jpg). Species name is optional, if not known.
Submissions shall be sent via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Submitter verifies they are the true original owner of any photos submitted and shall be given credit for the entry, and all photographs submitted shall remain property of the original owner.
MST shall be granted the right to use and publish photos in calendar or other format, promotional material, website, etc.
No fees or royalties shall be paid for submissions. At least twelve winning photographs shall be selected, and each winning member shall receive a free copy of calendar.
All decisions of the judging panel are final.
By participating in the contest, each entrant agrees to be bound by these competition rules and regulations.
Deadline for all photo submissions is 11:59 pm, Tuesday, October 31, 2023!
As part of the MST's membership in the Myco-Consortium series of Zoom talks, MST members are invited to join the presentation on Thursday, June 1st at 7pm ET:
Mycological Mexico: Oaxaca Edition
A talk by Zachary Hunter Thursday June 1st, 7pm ET
Mexico is one of the most climate diverse countries in the world and it has been estimated that indigenous Mexicans consume about 300 species of edible mushrooms across its eight climatic regions; All eight climates are found in the Southern State of Oaxaca. Despite its inclusion geographically in North America, the country of Mexico can seem quite foreign in its attitudes toward mushrooms and mushroom foraging when compared to the US or Canada. The difference, even more pronounced in Oaxaca, is more than just a language barrier, though that plays a significant role; despite Spanish being the dominant language, there are more than 16 official language groups throughout this state alone. More than half of the political regions in Oaxaca are self-governing autonomous democracies. There are no mushroom picking permits; nothing can be removed from the land, or even access granted, without express permission of the community. And yet, their knowledge of mushrooms and even mycology is vast and has been known since time immemorial. In this presentation, Chef Zachary Mazi attempts to tackle the barriers in understanding this delicate relationship, and discusses the intricate web of food-life-forest-community that underlies the unique management of these diverse and incredible ethnomycological regions whose wisdom holds so much potential for the rest of North America.
About Zachary Hunter
Zach is a lifelong devotee to flavor, a professionally trained chef who has been obsessed with mushrooms and uncovering the unknown with regards to edible mushroom chemistry and physiology. He is a member of the NAMA's (North American Mycological Association) Culinary Committee. He lives in Oaxaca, Mexico with his wife Kim, where they run MycoAdventures in the mountains of Oaxaca and beyond.
As part of the MST's membership in the Myco-Consortium series of Zoom talks, MST members are invited to join the presentation on Sunday, May 21st at 11am ET:
Foraging Edible Wild Mushrooms for the Beginner; Develop your Foolproof Few
A talk by Björn Wergen Sunday May 21st, 11am ET
Dung-Loving Cup Fungi is an overview of the colorful and less known species of the order Pezizales growing on dung from various animals. Genera, species, morphology and recent taxonomy will be discussed.
About Björn Wergen
Björn Wergen is founder and director of Schwarzwälder Pilzlehrschau, a mushroom school in Hornberg in the Black Forest, southern Germany. The school offers mycology courses and seminars from beginner to advanced levels. He has been studying fungi since 1994 and has a focus on morphology, taxonomy and photographic documentation. Wergen is author of the monumental Handbook of Ascomycota, Volumes 1a & 1b: Pyrenomycetes s.l. (2018).
As part of the MST's membership in the Myco-Consortium series of Zoom talks, MST members are invited to join the presentation on Thursday, May 11th at 7pm ET:
Foraging Edible Wild Mushrooms for the Beginner; Develop your Foolproof Few
A talk by Greg Marley Thursday May 11th, 7pm ET
Foraging for wild mushrooms has become a favored pastime for nature-minded people of all ages. The single thing that holds a novice mycophile back is the fear of being poisoned. There are a number of toxic mushrooms that can make you sick and a small number, dangerously ill. This presentation will introduce you to the concept of "Foolproof Mushrooms", a group of mushrooms that are common, easily identifiable and without toxic look-alikes. It will also address some of the common mistakes that people later regret. Join us for an evening of learning a handful of "Foolproof" edible mushrooms and some guidance to avoid becoming a toxic mushroom statistic.
About Greg Marley
Greg Marley, LCSW has been studying, growing, collecting, cooking and eating wild mushrooms for more than 45 years. He shares his love of mushrooms through lectures, workshops and walks on mushroom identification, culture and ecology to hundreds of hopeful mycophiles as well as consulting in cases of mushroom poisoning with poison centers in New England. Greg is the author of Mushrooms for Health; Medicinal Secrets of Northeastern Fungi (2009) and Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares, The Love Lore and Mystique of Mushrooms (2010). He lives and mushrooms along the coast of Maine where he has been a Director of the Maine Mycological Association for some time, and regularly teaches mushroom identification at Eagle Hill. When not mushrooming Greg works as a mental health clinician, trainer and consultant in suicide prevention and management.
