Professional and amateur photographers are officially invited to participate in this year’s Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition! Every year the competition gets more fierce as photographers from all over the world submit hundreds of entries for review. What will you be submitting this year?

There are a couple of new developments for this year’s competition that we’d like to make everyone aware of.  The competition will now offer “Early Bird” registration.  We get tons of entries at the end of the competition, so we are offering a 15% discount on registration fees through August 22nd, 2014.  In addition, we have now consolidated all of the AMPC files and have launched a newly designed website.  We hope you enjoy the new, easier to navigate interface.  We look forward to your feedback so we can continue to make this competition one to be enjoyed for years.

The prize for the Our Ecological Footprint category is larger than ever, totaling $500. Appalachian Voices will be furnishing $250 cash while Mast General Store will be contributing a gift certificate for $250 of gear. That makes this category the 3rd largest prize! If you need inspiration on capturing imagery that shows negative impacts on the environment in Southern Appalachia please visit the Appalachian Voices website for the latest news.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation‘s category, Blue Ridge Parkway — Beyond the Blacktop, will challenge the photographer to capture a sense of place, leading viewers to not only discover the views and vistas but the Parkway’s connection to culture & history, natural resources, and recreational activities..

Please note that this year’s timeframe for submissions is a bit different as well. This year’s contest started with “Early Bird” registration in mid-April coinciding with a feature article in Our State Magazine.  Normal registration started on August 22nd, 2014 with a deadline for submissions on November 21st, 2014 at 5:00pm.

As usual, please help us spread the word! We have press releases available on our Media page. If you’re promoting the comp on Twitter, please use the hashtag #appmtnphoto.

Remember that a portion of the proceeds raised from the AMPC support Outdoor Programs Student Learning Expeditions at Appalachian State University. SOLE trips take students around the world on educational journeys of discovery. Visit the Outdoor Programs website to learn more about this exciting program.

Thank you for your support this year and Happy Shooting!