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.
This year’s panel of esteemed jurors have selected the 50 finalists for this year’s Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition, from over 1,100 submissions.
Final judging to select this year’s Best In Show and individual category winners will take place prior to the public exhibition opening on March 4, 2016 at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, NC. The exhibition and voting for the People’s Choice Award opens on Friday, March 4 at 5:00 p.m. and closes on March 18, 2016 5:00 p.m.
Once voting for the People’s Choice Award ends on March 18, 2016, competition organizers will announce this year’s award winners on www.appmtnphotocomp.com and www.facebook.com/appmtphotocomp the following day.
Congratulations to this year’s finalists and thanks to everyone for submitting such great images! Your entry fees not only help raise funds for Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs SOLE Trips for students, but also show the world the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.
And the finalists are . . .
| Adventure :: Imagery depicting mountain sports such as climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, etc. | |
| Drew Bennett | “Open Water Workout“ |
| Dylan McKinney | “Soul Surfing“ |
| Eric Heistand | “Grandfather Mountain Men“ |
| Kristian Jackson | “Black/White Diamond“ |
| Lynn Willis | “Edge of a Dream“ |
| William Mauney | “Stateline Falls – Watauga River Race 2014“ |
| Brandon Jett | “Celestial Hangover“ |
| Blue Ridge Parkway – Where the Parkway Meets the Sky :: A rotating category each year with a different theme. | |
| Andrew Caldwell | “The Sentinel“ |
| Hanna Wilson | “Thunder Hill Overlook“ |
| Scott Ramsey | “Picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway“ |
| Sharon Canter | “Nightfall at the Manor“ |
| Todd Feldman | “Raven’s Roost in Black & White“ |
| Alison E. Foster | “Carriage Trail Clouds“ |
| Andi Gelsthorpe | “Wrong Feet The Lump MP264.4“ |
| Culture :: Imagery depicting the people, their customs, traditions, architecture, and ways of life unique to the Southern Appalachian region. | |
| James K. Fay | “Killing Hog“ |
| Jason Tarr | “American Blessings“ |
| Maggie Flanigan | “Maggie’s Lights“ |
| Micah J. Henry | “Making Molasses, Alexander Co., NC“ |
| Mitzi Gellman | “Boone Fork Baptism“ |
| Elle Olivia Anderson | “Robert with Christmas Dinner“ |
| Elle Olivia Anderson | “Tom and Roxie“ |
| James K. Fay | “Brother Carol“ |
| James K. Fay | “Hanging the Top“ |
| Environment :: Imagery documenting environmental concerns in Central and Southern Appalachia. | |
| James M. Davidson | “Nest, found near Boone, NC, with plastic netting“ |
| Heather Wolf Turner | “Cannon Memories“ |
| Amy Morrison Hayden | “Oil beauty after the storm“ |
| Adam Webster | “Polluted Paradise“ |
| Sam Brown | “Helping Hives“ |
| Lynda Ward | “Aftermath“ |
| Keely Kernan | “Coal“ |
| Keely Kernan | “Cabin Creek“ |
| Jason Tarr | “Down the Drain“ |
| Flora and Fauna :: Imagery of plants and animals common to the Southern Appalachians. | |
| Jeffrey Stoner | “Al dente“ |
| Joseph Balcken | “Collection“ |
| Raven Moffett | “Dripping Triptych“ |
| Rob Moore | “Bo the Red-tailed Hawk“ |
| Steve Yocom | “Winter Fairy Tale“ |
| Chuck Almarez | “After the Rain“ |
| Deborah Scannell | “Morning Catch“ |
| Halle Keighton | “Black Crow“ |
| Landscape :: Scenic imagery capturing the rich diversity and natural beauty of the Southern Appalachian region. | |
| Nathan Sales | “Appalachian Nocturne“ |
| Robert Vance | “Rock, Water, Leaves“ |
| Skip Sickler | “Grandfather Mountain – June 13, 2014“ |
| Skip Sickler | “Sunrise, Mile-High Bridge, Grandfather Mountain“ |
| Tim Williams | “Wuthering“ |
| Annkatrin Rose | “Forest Tunnel“ |
| Cathy Anderson | “Widow’s Creek Falls“ |
| Charles Johnson | “CJ Ice and Waterscape“ |
| Chris Almerini | “Frozen Linville Falls“ |
| Kathryn Greven | “The North Star“ |
For more information about this photography competition, please visit appmtnphotocomp.org, or call Outdoor Programs at 828.262.2475.
The 13th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition closes in less than five weeks! Register & submit your photos today!
In the meantime, get inspired with these 25 fall photos that have been chosen as finalists in previous years of AMPC.
From Rich Campbell, Competition Director for the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition
The AMPC has grown into one of the most prestigious regional photography competitions and we aim to strengthen that position. We have developed a very strong partnership with local entities such as the Turchin Center, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Virtual Blue Ridge, Appalachian Voices, the Mast General Store, Bistro Roca, Footsloggers, Peabody’s, Stick Boy Bread Company, and others.
Connections in the community create so many opportunities for us as a competition. We really want this to continue to be a true community event. We want people who visit the exhibition in the Turchin Center between February and June to feel like they have just seen the best collection of images available that depict the unique character, people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.
I have been Associate Director at ASU Outdoor Programs for 15 years, and am thrilled to be more closely linked to the competition. I have directed the Banff Film Festival every year since its inception and I am excited to work closely with both the photography competition and film festival this year. The two events complement one another so well that it is a natural progression.
We have intentionally created the AMPC to be a part of the Banff Film Festival weekend. That weekend has really turned into a celebration of mountain culture. The Banff Film Festival brings films from all over the globe highlighting mountain culture. The AMPC is a way for our community to interact, in a very personal level through photography, with our own mountain region and community. We have Banff bring us films from all corners of the globe, and we have our own community showcasing new aspects of our beloved Southern Appalachian region through the AMPC. It is a great ‘local to global festival’ on mountain culture every spring, right here in Boone.
Our Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions (SOLE) are programs and trips that are longer and they travel to more diverse locations in North America and abroad. SOLE programs emphasize discovery of self and expedition team members – as well as discovery of the landscapes and cultures of the wilderness areas and countries we explore. We travel in regions of countries that are seldom visited, remote and exceptionally beautiful. Traveling in these settings through adventure education, students learn valuable skills in leadership, perseverance, group dynamics, teamwork, responsibility, wilderness ethics and global perspectives.
Video for New Zealand SOLE Trip
Proceeds from the Banff Film Festival and the AMPC make these experiences, that many students share with us as life changing, more accessible to more students.
We encourage photographers to enter this competition regardless of their previous experience. We do have professional photographers who enter, but we have also had plenty of success with amateur photographers in the past, including amateurs who have captured Best in Show. Photographers who capture a unique perspective of a familiar landscape or an interesting take on a familiar subject tend to do really well in this competition.
One of the primary goals of the AMPC is to encourage photographers to grab their camera and create their own story that they want to share with our community. When hundreds of people do this, the end result is a powerful exhibition and an important archive of what is so special to our own mountain community that we call home.
Community members and a Crossnore School photography class attended the annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition Lunch and Learn on Wednesday, March 16 at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Brook Bower, Assistant Curator and Competition Director Andrew Miller spoke about the role AMPC plays as part of a greater celebration of mountain life.
The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is part of a trio of programs coordinated by Outdoor Programs that celebrate our unique mountain culture each spring. April 1st and 2nd will mark the 15th annual screening of the Banff Mountain film festival in Boone to one of the largest audiences on the North American tour. Each year, the festival features the world’s best films on mountain adventure, culture, and the environment selected from hundreds of entries submitted from around the world. We choose screenings designed to educate, entertain, and inspire the high country audience.
Outdoor Programs is also excited to introduce the Appalachian Adventure Achievement Award (A4). Our goal is to inspire youth to adopt a healthy, and active outdoor lifestyle and to celebrate young people in our community and who inspire others through their active, healthy, and adventurous lives.
This years judges then lead the group through the exhibition answering questions and sharing their experience in selecting the 46 finalists from among all entries. “The goal of the AMPC is to give people an active way to connect with the themes of mountain culture, environment, and sport that are highlighted in our annual screenings of the Banff Mountain Film Festival”, says Andrew Miller, Competition Director and Outdoor Programs Coordinator. “To have this additional opportunity to share AMPC with the community is just icing on the cake.”
Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs is seeking your help in identifying the High Country’s role models and young mountain sports stars. These young men and women will be recognized through the first ever A4 inititiative – Appalachian Adventure Achievement Award. Honors will include recognition on stage at the Banff Mountain Film Festivals, and a selection of prizes made possible by project sponsors.
There are two age categories for the A4: 17 and under, and 18-24 years old. Nominees must either reside or attend school in the High Country of NC (Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties) to be eligible. Nominations can be submitted for individuals in successive years, but a nominee can only receive the A4 once for their age category. The April 1 screening of Banff will recognize the 17 and under A4 winner, while the April 2 screening will honor the 18-24 year-old A4 winner.
Outdoor Programs is bringing the 15th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival back to Boone for the “best of the festival” world tour Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, 2011. The films will be screened at Farthing Auditorium on the campus of Appalachian State University.
These films focus on themes of environment, culture, and adventure in the mountains and represent the best of the best. Hundreds of entries were submitted from around the world, and Outdoor Programs has selected films for this viewing that will not only educate, but will also inspire and entertain.
Online ticket sales for Banff can be purchased through Farthing Auditorium, or if you’re in downtown Boone, NC, you can pick up your tickets at Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. Tickets are $9 (students can grab tickets at $7).
Check out the Banff Mountain Film Festival trailer for 2010-2011:
For more information on the Banff Mountain film festival and to see clips of other films available for viewing, please visit their website.
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.
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.
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!
