Appalachian Voices Adds Cash Award

The organizers of the 7th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition are excited to announce an additional cash prize for the upcoming competition furnished by Appalachian Voices. The winner of this year’s Our Ecological Footprint category will take home $200 and see their image featured in the bi-monthly publication, The Appalachian Voice.

Appalachian Voices

As the newest supporter of the competition, Appalachian Voices has helped to revitalize what has traditionally been one of the most underrepresented categories of the competition. “We hope the images submitted will create for the viewing public a visual connection to the scope of the environmental damage occurring in Appalachia and empower people to become involved,” said Sandra Diaz, Development Director for Appalachian Voices.

Those familiar with the competition will find the Environment category replaced by the new category; Our Ecological Footprint. Photographers, both amateur and professional, are asked to submit images to the category that document environmental injustices and detrimental practices that are damaging the rich eco-systems of the Appalachian Mountains.

Coal Kills (J.K. York)
Coal Kills (J.K. York) 7th Annual Finalist – Our Ecological Footprint

“After six successful years of the competition, we can look back and see that we are developing an archive of images that capture the people, places and pursuits that characterize Southern Appalachia. The advocacy of Appalachian Voices on issues important to this region will shape what those images look like in the future and how we understand and define this region,” said Andrew Miller, Competition Director. “That is why we are so excited to have Appalachian Voices as our newest competition supporter, it just makes sense.”

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7th Annual AMPC Has Begun!

The time is upon us once again to gear up for the Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition. Each year we see a tremendous amount of growth in participation and interest, and the competition gets tougher and tougher with each click of the lens.

Our rotating Blue Ridge Parkway Journey category this year will be Picnicking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Definitely a favorite pastime of Parkway travelers, the AMPC staff is anxious to see what kind of submissions this category will bring to the table.

Appalachian Voices

We’re also excited about a new sponsor for this year’s competition: Appalachian Voices, a group that organizes people to solve environmental problems affecting the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. With this new sponsorship comes a change to what was formerly known as the “Environment” category.

Forest Ghosts (Daniel Burleson), 7th Annual AMPC Finalist - Environment
Forest Ghosts (Daniel Burleson), 7th Annual AMPC Finalist – Environment. This image was taken along the Bynum Bluff trail in the Linville Gorge. I wanted to show just how destructive a non-native insect can be to an entire tree species. The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, native to Asia where the hemlocks are immune to it, feeds on the sap of hemlock trees. The adelgid was accidentally introduced to the US in 1924, the first spotting of it in the southeast was in 1951. Since then it has infested nearly all Appalachian hemlock stands south of Virginia in just a decade.

As a category, Our Ecological Footprint will be about imagery documenting environmental concerns in Central and Southern Appalachia. The threats to this region are real, so if you’re feeling inspired by this category, check out the Appalachian Voices website for more information on ecological concerns in the area. We really look forward to seeing the statements made with these images.

A comprehensive FAQ has been created as a way to help registrants with the registration and upload process, as well as other generic questions. Questions related to technical and registration issues should be covered, but we are always open to your ideas and suggestions. Please leave a comment on the blog, or submit a support ticket with your suggestion.

I have a feeling that this year will once again top the previous, and I encourage all of you to break out of your shell, take risks, and leave fear at the door. This may be a “regional” competition, but the photographers entering are not all from this area. Last year we saw the first international submissions! The greatest thing about this competition is seeing how all of you push each other to reach the next level – amateurs and professionals alike. Make us proud!

7th Annual AMPC Parkway Category Theme: Picnicking on the Parkway

brpf-logoThe Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has annouced the call for its prestigious 7th Annual Blue Ridge Parkway photography competition with this year’s new theme in the “Blue Ridge Parkway Journey” category — Picnicking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For the traditional Parkway “Vista” category and the “Share the Journey” category, cash prizes of $200 and $350 are being offered respectively.

The Blue Ridge Parkway categories are part of the 7th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition, held each year to support Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs.
“We wanted to announce the specialty category now, because of the large number of inquisitive calls ‘what will it be this year?’ and to give all those shutter bugs time to collect their photographs during the height of the Parkway season,” stated Mari Jo Turner, the Foundation’s director of development.

2010 is the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

7th Annual AMPC Calendar

  • Friday, September 18: Competition opens for registration and submissions
  • Friday, January 29, 2010, 5:00 p.m.: Registration and submissions close
  • Friday, February 5, 2010: Notification of selected works for exhibition (Due to the large number of submissions, only those with works selected for exhibition will be notified)
  • Friday, March 5 – Saturday, June 5, 2010: AMPC Exhibition at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, NC
  • Friday March 5, 2010, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Exhibition opening reception and start of People’s Choice Voting Friday
  • March 26 at 5 p.m.: People’s Choice Voting closes

6th Annual AMPC Winners Announced

Organizers of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition today announced the winners of its 6th Annual competition.

This year’s competition saw many “firsts” — the most impressive being an image in the Adventure category for the first time taking Best In Show. Eric Heistand’s Best In Show winner “Splash or Trash” (shown below) was also selected as the People’s Choice Award winner, the first time a single image has received both of these prestigious awards. Congratulations Eric!

Splash or Trash (Eric Heistand), 6th Annual AMPC Best In Show & People's Choice Award winner.
Eric Heistand’s 6th Annual AMPC Best In Show winner “Splash or Trash” (shown below) was also selected as the People’s Choice Award winner.

The organizers, sponsors, and supporters of the 6th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition would like to congratulate this year’s winning photographers. Entries to this year’s competition were from across the United States and for the first time included international submissions. Photographers of all levels from novices to professionals are represented among the 47 finalists on exhibition at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts through June 6, 2009.

Planning for next year started before this year’s competition was wrapped up and we are looking for your feedback to help us continue to grow and innovate. AMPC is funded through the generous contributions of our partners, sponsors and supporters. You can provide needed operational support to AMPC by choosing to make a donation and/or offering us feedback on your user experience. Your input will be crucial in helping us to prioritize our limited resources as we plan upgrades for next year’s competition.

6th Annual AMPC Winners List

6th Annual Best In Show Splash or Trash by Eric Heistand
6th Annual People’s Choice Award Splash or Trash by Eric Heistand
Adventure Twilight on Table by Eric Heistand
Blue Ridge Parkway Journey Floppy Ears by Scott Brown
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas Grandfather Monolith by Dale King
Culture The Contra Dance by Hallie Hochman
Environment The Tree Documentary by Jesse Hawk
Flora & Fauna Wonder Collides by Jessica Maceda
Landscape Drifting Along the Appalachian Trail by Jeffrey Stoner

Judges were also asked to identify images of distinction and merit to receive Special Mention honors and an additional eight photographers have been recognized.

Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas Harvest Moon over the Blue Ridge by Bob Peterson
Culture Beware of Dog? by Eric Heistand
Culture Boone Drug Waitresses by Kerry Puckett
Environment Pipes by Dustin Chambers
Environment Progression by Heather Wolf Turner
Flora & Fauna Camoflauge by Jayne Caruso
Flora & Fauna Fawn Dew by Mike Naney
Landscape Stone Mountain Pano by Cory Barlow

6th Annual AMPC Winners Gallery

Thank you photographers for submitting to this year’s competition, and for sharing your vision and interpretation of the people, places and pursuits that distinguish Southern Appalachia. In doing so, you have made outstanding contributions in support of Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions at Appalachian State University. We hope to see your submissions in 2010!

For press & media resource information, please visit our press room.

13th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival

The 13th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival is returning to Boone, NC. Located near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Boone is one of many towns on the tour schedule. The “best of the festival” world tour features the world’s best films on the environment, culture, and mountain adventure. These films have been chosen among hundreds of entries from countries all over the world.

This year’s screenings have been selected to entertain, educate, and inspire you. Be sure to watch the jaw dropping action highlighted in this year’s trailer.

Trailer for the 2008-2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival

More Movies On This Year’s Tour

“Red Gold”
People’s Choice Award 2008-2009 Banff Film Festival

At the headwaters of the two largest remaining sockeye salmon runs on the planet, a proposed mine may require the largest dam ever constructed to contain the toxic runoff. Native, commercial, and sport fishermen oppose the proposed Pebble Mine, while mine officials argue the case for development. At stake is a unique way of life that would not exist if the salmon didn’t return with Bristol Bay’s tide.

“Mountain Town: The Cowboy and the Park Goddess”

Isabelle Fallardeau is a young woman whose passion for snowboarding and penchant for power tools has led her to a career as one of the world’s only female terrain park builders. Mac Smith is a lifelong rancher, environmentalist and ski patrolman who experienced personal tragedy and triumph while leading the development of Aspen’s Highlands Bowl.

Banff Mountain Film Festival Partners, Sponsors, and Vendors

Banff Film Festival is Presented By Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. For 13 years, Footsloggers has partnered with ASU’s Outdoor Programs to bring the screening to Boone.

Sponsors for this year’s festival include:

Peabody’s Wine & Beer Merchants
Gideon Ridge Inn at Blowing Rock
Bistro Roca
WNCW 88.7 Radio
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
Virtual Blue Ridge
Appalachian Ski Mountain

Additional support has been made possible by the following businesses and organizations:

Deuter
North Carolina Outward Bound
Rock Dimensions
Mountain Alliance
Acupuncture Healthcare Clinic
Dragonfly Theater & Pub

Festival-goers will be able to enjoy coffee from Bald Guy Brew and live music while enjoying the goods and services of local and regional vendors.

6th Annual AMPC Finalists Announced

We sent out the call to professional and amateur photographers all over the country to submit their images that depict the Southern Appalachian Mountain region in their own unique way, and the response was truly overwhelming.  This year’s judges reviewed 918 images – no small feat, indeed.

Benson at Beacon Heights (Jill Smith), 6th Annual AMPC Finalist - Dogs on the Parkway
Benson at Beacon Heights (Jill Smith), 6th Annual AMPC Finalist – Dogs on the Parkway

Below we have listed the forty-seven images that have been selected for exhibition at the Mezzanine Gallery of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. You can browse these photos in our AMPC photograph archives.

This year’s category winners are:

Adventure
Alan Hughes “Wet & Wild”
Eric Heistand “Splash or Trash” &
“Parallels” &
“Twilight on Table”
Joe Quinn “WI4, M5”
John Nichols “Winter Paddling Solitude”
Kristian Jackson “Lost Coz”
Lynn Willis “Second Ascent of Raptor’s Delight”
Vicky Sawyer “Supper on Mount Rogers”
Blue Ridge Parkway Journey – Dogs on the Parkway
Andi Gelsthorpe “Anodyne’s Affection”
Jane Best “Jazz and Peak”
Jill Smith “Benson at Beacon Heights” &
“Comet at Thunder Hill”
Scott Brown “Floppy Ears”
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas
Bob Peterson “Sunrise Over the Blue Ridge Mountains” &
“Harvest Moon Over the Blue Ridge”
D L Ennis “The Morning After”
Dale King “Grandfather Monolith”
Joyce O’Neil “Pounding Mill Overlook”
Tommy Stine “First Snow”
Tommy White “Magic Surrounds Me”
Culture
Beth Brittain “Ruins in the Woods”
Carole Usdan “Blue Braid”
Dustin Chambers “Typewriter”
Eric Heistand “Beware of Dog?”
Hallie Hochman “The Contra Dance”
Jeffrey Stoner “From Past to Present”
Jeffrey Waldron “Grillbillies”
Kenneth Kirksey “Untitled”
Kerry Puckett “Boone Drug Waitresses: Marilyn, Wilma G, Wilma D”
Terry Young “Shadows of Bluegrass”
Environment
Dustin Chambers “Boone Saloon Fire” &
“Pipes”
Jesse Hawk “The Tree Documentary”
Heather Wolf Turner “Progression”
Lynn Willis “Pinnacle Fire in Linville Gorge Wilderness Area”
Maria Lloyd “Leaves on Wood”
Flora and Fauna
Jayne Caruso “Camoflauge”
Jessica Maceda “Wonder Collides”
Laura Brittain “Curly Q’s”
Mike Naney “Fawn Dew”
Landscape
Cory Barlow “Stone Mountain Pano”
Dale Forrest “First Color”
Dale King “Halloween Creek”
Jeffrey Stoner “Drifting Along the Appalachian Trail”
Keith Lisk “Whitewater Falls”
Lawrence Elmer “Seasonal Landscapes”

A huge round of applause and congratulations for this year’s finalists of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition!  People’s Choice Award voting goes live March 6, 2009.  Thanks again to all of you for participating in this year’s competition.  Each year the level of competition is raised, both in quality and quantity of entries.

I can barely wait for next year!

6th Annual AMPC Has Begun!

It’s the moment everyone has been waiting for. Trails will be trampled, new roads will be driven, new treasures will be discovered, and dogs will have a chance to pose on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yep, even dogs will have their day for this year’s competition!

Anodyne’s Affection (Andi Gelsthorpe)
Anodyne’s Affection (Andi Gelsthorpe)

One of the newest features for the 6th Annual AMPC is that the Share the Journey® category will rotate and feature a new theme every year. This year’s theme is Dogs on the Parkway. Stock up on your flea shampoo and practice your brushing skills!

Another important change is that, for the first time in the competition’s history, only digital submissions will be accepted. More importantly, the competition now has its own permanent home in cyberspace at appmtnphotocomp.org.

Still here? What are you waiting for? Get registered already!

6th Annual AMPC Parkway Journey Category Theme: Dogs On The Parkway

“Dogs on the Parkway” will be a focus of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s component of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition this year. Being one of the most popular categories of the competition, the Blue Ridge Parkway Journey® category will be a rotating category featuring a different theme each year.

Floppy Ears (Scott Brown)
Floppy Ears (Scott Brown)

 

“Dog owners love their dogs,” states Houck Medford, executive director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “It is part of the Parkway journey!” It seemed only fitting that we make this the theme for the Blue Ridge Parkway Journey category. Entries will be judged on impact, lighting, composition, and effectively conveying the idea of traveling, hiking, motorcycling, or whatever Parkway activity with your dog. Posed or studio photographs will be disqualified. (Also, make sure that your favorite photo shows your dog on a leash if out of the vehicle . . . ahem, newly enforced regulations! Ouch, the fines hurt!)

Registration for the 6th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is scheduled to begin toward the end of September of 2008. Start gathering your camera gear and get those ideas churning!

5th Annual AMPC Winners Announced

Organizers of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition today announced the winners of its 5th Annual competition.

Dale King and his image Solitary Cloud entered in the Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas category took top honors, receiving Best In Show.  Category Winners acknowledge the top image in each of the seven competition categories and will receive Mast General Store prize packages with a retail value of $275.

Solitary Cloud (Dale King), 5th Annual AMPC Best In Show - Overall
Solitary Cloud (Dale King), 5th Annual AMPC Best In Show – Overall

This year marked the largest participation in the People’s Choice Award sponsored by Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters with more than 1,100 individually registered voters casting nearly 2,400 total votes.  In the end Scott Hotaling and his image Mountain Calm will take home the $350 cash prize.

Mountain Calm (Scott Hotaling), 5th Annual AMPC People's Choic Award
Mountain Calm (Scott Hotaling), 5th Annual AMPC People’s Choic Award

5th Annual AMPC Winners List

Best in Show – Overall Solitary Cloud by Dale King
People’s Choice Award Mountain Calm by Scott Hotaling


Category Winners

Adventure Stone Mountain Climbers by Patrick Pitzer
Blue Ridge Parkway Journey Beneath the Viaduct by Colby Rabon
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas Rough Ridge 360 by Rick Rapfogel
Culture Dave Duke Sorts Tobacco by Robert & Shiiko Alexander
Environment Venus by Brad Douglas
Flora & Fauna Hosta 800 by Pat Pilchard
Landscape Rainy Woods by Rick Rapfogel


Special Mention Honors

Judges were also asked to identify images of distinction and merit to receive Special Mention honors and an additional ten photographers have been recognized.

Adventure Meadow Nap by Heidi Hatcher
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas Valley Farm by Tommy Shine
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas Bird’s Eye View by Dale Forrest
Culture French Swiss Ski Rental by Roger Bodo
Culture Neal’s Grocery by Robert and Shiiko Alexander
Environment Pumping Station by Kerry Puckett
Flora & Fauna Brook Trout by Scott Brown
Landscape Sunrise After Ice Storm by Bob Peterson
Landscape Elk Mountain by Charles King
Landscape Angry Morning by Neal Auspitz

5th Annual AMPC Winners Gallery

All forty-six images selected for the 5th Annual exhibition will remain on display in the Mezzanine Gallery of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts through June 7.   This summer the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will take select images on the road to community and art centers along the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor.

The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is a partnership between Outdoor Programs, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.  Support for AMPC is provided by Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters, Bistro Roca Inventive American Cuisine, Peabody’s Merchants of Fine Beer and Wine, Mast General Store, and VirtualBlueRidge.com.

For press & media resource information, please visit our press room.

5th Annual AMPC Finalists Announced

Thanks to everyone who submitted to the 5th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition. Forty-six images have been selected for exhibition from the more than 860 submitted. Photographers whose works have been selected for exhibition have been notified.

Swallowtail on Joe Pye (Bob Peterson), 5th Annual AMPC Finalist - Flora & Fauna
Swallowtail on Joe Pye (Bob Peterson), 5th Annual AMPC Finalist – Flora & Fauna

Beginning with a public reception on Friday, March 7, 2008 and running through June 7, 2008, this year’s selected images will be available for viewing in the Mezzanine Gallery of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Images selected for exhibition will also be available for viewing via the Internet and the public is invited to vote for their favorite images as part of the People’s Choice Award sponsored by Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. We will make an announcement in this blog when the voting procedures are posted.

5th Annual AMPC Finalists List

You can find the 5th Annual AMPC Finalists photos in our archives.

Adventure
John Nichols “Frosty Early Morning Hike”
Heidi Hatcher (2) “Meadow Nap” &
“Backpacker’s Silhouette”
Lynn Willis (2) “Paraglider flies over western Watauga County, NC.” &
“Catch of the day!”
Patrick Pitzer “Stone Mountain Climbers”
Blue Ridge Parkway Share the Journey®
John Nichols “Relaxing on a Southern Appalachian Evening”
Terry Young “Touring Doughton Park”
Bob Peterson “Back In time”
Jamie Belongea “Boys on the Blue Ridge”
Colby Rabon “Beneath the Viaduct”
Andre Masson “Biltmore Winter”
Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas
Dale Forrest “A Bird’s Eye View”
Scott Hotaling “Mountain Calm”
Tommy Stine “Valley Farm”
Robert Sterling Gingher “Trestle Bridge”
Rick Rapfogel “Rough Ridge 360”
Jessica Maceda “Glee Gloom”
Dale King “Solitary Cloud”
Culture
Steven Gold “Preparing Food for the Family”
Roger W. Bodo “French Swiss Ski Rental Building Fire Last Remains”
Mary Jo Brezny “Hewitt Barn”
Ian Riley “School Days”
Jamie Goodman “Avery A&H Fair, September 2006”
Robert and Shiiko Alexander (2) “Dave Dukes Sorts Tobacco Leaves” &
“Neal’s Grocery”
Environment
Brad Douglass “Venus”
Kerry Puckett “Pumping Station, Little Tennessee River, June 2006”
Robert Vance “Dew”
Deborah Burchett “Hard Times”
Jessica Maceda “F A N T A S I A”
Charles King “River of Cows”
Flora and Fauna
Liezel D’souza “American Goldfinch”
Pat Pilchard “Hosta 800”
Bob Peterson “Swallowtail on Joe Pye”
Bill McClung “A Spooky Tree on Mount Mitchell”
James M. Davidson “Queen Anne’s Lace”
Joanne Senkus “Katydid”
Scott Brown “brook trout”
Landscape
Bob Peterson “Sunrise after Ice Storm”
Lynn Willis “Sunset on fall colors, Table Rock, Linville Gorge.”
Rick Rapfogel “Rainy Woods”
Lynne Townsend “Frozen Hillscape”
Neal Auspitz “Angry Morning”
Patrick Pitzer “Cleo’s View”
Charles King “Elk Mountain”

A huge round of applause and congratulations for this year’s winners of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition!  Virtual Blue Ridge will be posting a gallery of this year’s winners soon.  Thanks again to all of you for participating in this year’s competition.  After seeing the stiff competition from this year, we look forward to next year more and more.

The 5th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is a service of Outdoor Programs at Appalachian State University and serves to subsidize students participating in Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions (SOLE trips). SOLE trips are 21 to 55 day educational journeys of discovery to remote and exciting destinations including New Zealand, Fiji, Wales, and Alaska. Outdoor Programs has been offering human-powered, adventure-based programs to the students, faculty and staff of ASU for more than thirty-five years.