Winter in the Appalachian Mountains is alternately soft, brutal, and beautiful. Check out these fifteen AMPC finalists photos of breathtaking winter scenes to remind yourself just how magical mountain winters can be.

And be sure to check out the finalists for this year’s competition on our Gallery page, and also at the finalists exhibition at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, North Carolina starting on March 4, 2016.