At a virtual Awards Ceremony on Thursday April 23 at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts which was pre-recorded and ‘Live-Streamed’, the 17th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition presented it’s annual awards for the winning images for this year’s competition.
A partnership between Appalachian State University Outdoor Programs, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and Virtual Blue Ridge, the AMPC celebrates the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians. Attracting entries from across the United States, the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition has grown into one the region’s most prestigious photography competitions with over 1,000 submissions this year. The AMPC is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Mast General Store, who are providing generous gift certificates for each category winner. Supporters of the AMPC include: Appalachian Voices, Bistro Roca, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Footsloggers, Peabody’s, Nikon Professional Services, and Stick Boy Bread Company.
Special Jury Awards were presented to the following photographers for their work.
Fill ‘er Up
Bob Kitchens
The Green Race
Eric Heistand
From Valley to Mountain
Brandon Bowling
People’s Choice Award – $350 gift certificate from Footsloggers
Sugar Mountain Brocken Spectre by William Mauney (winning by just 9 votes)
Ecological Footprint – $250 Gift Certificate from the Mast General Store and $250 from Appalachian Voices
Legacy by Jim Magruder
Adventure – $250 Gift Certificate from Mast General Store
Golden Hour by Daniel Gajda
Culture – $250 Gift Certificate from Mast General Store
Warm Blanket by Jim Magruder
Flora Fauna – $250 Gift Certificate from Mast General Store
Fabio by Michael Kaal
Landscape – $250 Gift Certificate from Mast General Store
Cloud over Tablerock Mountain by Skip SIckler
Blue Ridge Parkway – “Where’s the Water” – $250 cash prize from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and an underwater, 4K camera from Nikon.
Infrared of Mabry Mill by Mark Roberts
Best in Show – $1,000 Grand Prize
Fabio by Michael Kaal
“We are thrilled to be celebrating our 17th year of the competition,” states Rich Campbell Competition Director for the AMPC. “We had another very strong year of images, and were excited to present awards virtually on Thursday evening. We normally present the awards during the Banff weekend in March, but due to Covid 19, rescheduled the event to be shown virtually on Thursday April 23. “We have built a long history of celebrating the people, places, and pursuits of the Southern Appalachians through photography and are happy to be able to continue this tradition. We look forward to bringing back our awards ceremony in person next year in the beautiful Turchin Center Gallery.”
Jurors for the AMPC this year include Joan Brook, Erin Durham, and J. Scott Graham. The panel of professional photographers who served as jurors this year selected these images from the 47 finalist images and they are displayed in exhibition at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts through June 1, 2020. Additionally, the finalist images from the 17th Annual AMPC will be permanently archived on the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition website, https://www.appmtnphotocomp.org/
About Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition:
The AMPC is a partnership between Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs and The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. AMPC is made possible through the sponsorship of Virtual Blue Ridge, the premier online resource for the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mast General Store. AMPC receives generous support from Appalachian Voices; Bistro Roca Inventive American Cuisine; the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation; Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters; Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants; Nikon Professional Services: and Stick Boy Bread Company. For more information about this photography competition, please visit www.appmtnphotocomp.org, or call Outdoor Programs at 828.262.2475.
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