The 10th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition (AMPC) is a program of Appalachian’s Outdoor Programs in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. The AMPC has become a prominent regional competition, attracting the work of amateur and professional photographers from across the country and allowing them the opportunity to celebrate the unique people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachian mountains.
2013 Competition Winners
Organizers of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition announced the winners of the 10th annual competition on Saturda, May 18th. This year’s top honors go to:
- Best in Show Winner: Another Autumn by Sharon Canter
- Adventure Category: Lucy’s Dream Day by Eric Heistand
- Blue Ridge Parkway: Fall Cycling by Tommy Penick
- Landscape Category: Glorious Greeting – Roan Mountain by Dave Allen
- Culture Category: Porta Portrait by Chuck Almarez
- Our Environmental Footprint: Towers by Rob Travis
- Flora & Fauna Category: Just Bee by Amanda Prince
- People’s Choice Award: The Looking Glass Sunrise by Kenneth Voltz
- Juror Special Mention: Ice Castles by Nicole Robinson
- Juror Special Mention: Seen Any Good Flicks Lately by Kimberly Lane
2013 Jurors
This year’s images were selected by a panel of jurors with a professional background in photography and love for the natural environment.
“We are thrilled to announce our jurors this year. Our jurors range from veterans in the photography world to up-and-coming professionals. It is a diverse group of jurors, and will provide a strong and varied perspective from which to view the images,” said AMPC Competition Director, Rich Campbell. “We are excited to have these individuals be a part of the AMPC who will dedicate their time, talent and expertise to the competition this year.”
Jurors Williams, Fletcher and Freeman reviewed all entries and narrowed them down to approximately 46 images that are displayed in exhibition at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. From those images, the judges selected the final winners.
Chip Williams
Chip Williams, assistant professor of technical photography at Appalachian, has worked as a corporate and editorial freelance photographer for more than 18 years in Chicago. He shot for national magazines such as Smithsonian, US News & World Report, ESPN the Magazine, Kiplinger’s, Money and Parade. Prior to his move to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Williams was active with prairie restoration in Lake County, Ill., and worked extensively with the Lake County Forest Preserve District as a client to help them document their work in this area, as well as wildlife monitoring and naturalist education.
Jamey Fletcher
Jamey Fletcher is a professional photographer based in the High Country specializing in event, wedding and portrait photography in the southeastern United States. Jamey is the son of recently retired Appalachian professor Jeff Fletcher who introduced his son to the world of photography at a very early age. From the time the younger Fletcher was old enough stand on a stool and reach an enlarger, he was in the darkroom learning the art of making images. His photography career began at the age of 14 as he worked as a stringer and a staff photographer for the Watauga Democrat newspaper. Jamey’s love of the outdoors and photography create his intrinsic passion of nature photography.
Marie Freeman
Marie Freeman is a seasoned photojournalist who has worked for both the Watauga Democrat and Mountain Times newspapers for nearly 14 years. In 2008, she joined the Appalachian’s University Communications team as university photographer. Her professional accomplishments include: 15 North Carolina Press Association photography awards; first place award in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for her snowflake microphotography; and being published in numerous state and national newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, USA Today, the New York Times, Detroit Free Press and Our State magazine.
Sponsorship
This exhibition is a partnership between Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The AMPC is made possible through the sponsorship of…
- Virtual Blue Ridge, the premier online resource for the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Mast General Store
- Smoky Mountain Living
The AMPC is also made possible through the generous support of…
- Appalachian Voices
- Bistro Roca, Inventive American Cuisine
- Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters
- Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants
- Stick Boy Bread
For more information about this photography competition, please visit www.appmtnphotocomp.org, or call Outdoor Programs at 828.262.2475.
Additional resources
- Flickr – Installation images
- Flickr – Winner images
- AMPC Photo Archive – Official website
- AMPC Blog – Official Blog Site
- Flickr – Preview Images
- Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition – Official website
- Outdoor Programs – Official website
- Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation – Official website