The 8th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition (AMPC)

AMPC will open for registration and submissions on Friday, September 17 at 5PM. Amateur and professional photographers 13 years of age and older are encouraged to submit at www.appmtnphotocomp.org. A partnership between ASU Outdoor Programs, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the AMPC celebrates the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians and attracts entries from across the US.

This year's theme will be 'Blue Ridge Parkway Share the Journey® Category theme: The Parkway Tree Project.' The Parkway Tree Project seeks to bring greater public awareness to the rich natural resources of the region and to document significant trees that contribute to the character, environment, and/or aesthetic of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Capture images of trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway that stand out as the most beautiful, the oldest or largest, trees that tell a story or have a place in history, and those that are unique for their shape, species, or character.

Those submitting images will be asked to identify the tree species, document the tree's location (e.g. GPS coordinates, Parkway Milepost, or other identifying indicators of the tree's location), and describe in a short story of a paragraph or more why the photographed tree is of particular significance.

Entries will be judged on impact, subject matter, center of interest, and storytelling - effectively sharing the journey by celebrating trees along the Parkway. There are seven separate categories for submissions and $4,000 in cash and prizes. A panel of professional photographers will review all entries and narrow them down to forty-six that will hang in exhibition at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, February 4-June 4, 2011.