Capturing the nature of the preserve
Capture the beautiful colors of fall
Birds in their natural habitat
Includes standard black and white and infrared images
Any living animal other than birds or humans
Rain, snow, ice; capture the effects of weather on the natural world. Be sure to take images safel
Frame-filling images where the subject, if displayed in 8×10 format, would be larger than life size
Limited to new photographers or those who haven’t entered in the last 2 years (2021/2022)
Contest Rules
- Images must be submitted by 4 PM on February 28, 2024.
- You may submit a maximum of 7 images in any of the eight categories, with a maximum of 2 images per category. Newcomers to the contest are not required to submit images to the Newcomers category but are encouraged to do so.
- All images must be taken within the boundaries of the Pennypack Preserve, north of Welsh Road and south of Davisville Road. In addition, photos may be taken on the rail trail between Welsh Road and Byberry Road.
- Digital manipulation of images is permitted. However, remember that this is a contest designed, at least in part, to represent the beauty and interest of the Pennypack Preserve. Representation of the natural beauty of the preserve is encouraged.
- Be sure to follow the submission guidelines regarding the size and naming of the photos. Oversized or incorrectly named images will be returned to the photographer to address before they can be judged.
- Please respect all the usage rules of the Pennypack Preserve when shooting! Remember that certain areas of the Pennypack Preserve are off limits to dogs, the usage of bicycles and yes, sometimes even people! As much as we enjoy getting outdoors and having fun, we must respect the Pennypack Preserve as home to other forms of life. Reading and following the rules set forth by the Pennypack Trust will help preserve and restore fragile habitats. Thank you for cooperating!
How To Register
A $25 donation is suggested to register.
- By Phone: Call the trust at 215-657-0830 during business hours (9AM-5PM Mon-Fri). You will need to pay by credit card, or mail a check later. Please provide your email address so we can contact you if there are any issues with your submitted images.
- By Mail: Mail your name and contact information including email address to:
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
2955 Edge Hill Road
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006-5099
Enclose your check for your registration fee payable to Pennypack Trust.
- In Person: Stop at the office during business hours (9AM-5PM Mon-Fri) to register and pay your registration fee. Be sure to leave your email address.
Image Submission Details
All images must be submitted as computer files in JPEG format.Please name each image in the following format:
category#-firstname-lastname-image#.jpg
For example, if John Smith were submitting two images for category #3 and one image to category #4 his image filenames would read:
3-john-smith-1.jpg
3-john-smith-2.jpg
4-john-smith-1.jpg
The maximum image size is 20 MB. This is particularly an issue since many submissions are made by email where buffer size becomes an issue.
Do not include your name or a watermark on any image. The images are judged anonymously, so there should be no way for the judges to identify the photographer on the image. The judges will not see the filenames when they review the images.
Any images submitted which do not conform to these guidelines will be returned to the photographer to correct before they can eligible for judging.
How To Submit Your Photos
If possible, copy your images onto a CD. You can drop it off at the Pennypack Trust office or mail it to the office. If you mail it, remember we need to receive it by February 28, 2024. The mailing address is:
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
2955 Edge Hill Road
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006-5099
If you do not have a CD burner, you can email your images to:pennypackphoto@gmail.com
Depending on image size, you may have to send the images in multiple emails depending on computer buffer size. Therefore, it is more convenient for us if you can send or drop off a CD, but if this is not available we can accept email images.
The Director's Choice Award will by judged by
Awards
Submitted photos will be judged by our expert judges who will select 1st, 2nd and 3rd place entries in 8 categories. Additional photos in each category may be selected for Honorable Mention. In addition, Chris Mendel, Director of the Trust, will choose the Director’s Award. Awards will be announced at a slideshow in the Spring of 2024 at the Visitor Center. Our judges will be present at the slideshow to comment on the winning photos.
Winners
1st, 2nd, 3rd place photos will be displayed at a print show at the Pennypack Visitor Center in the Summer of 2024, beginning with a reception to meet the photographers. All photographers entering the contest who are awarded a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place prize will be encouraged to frame and display their winning photos. There will be an opportunity for non-awarded photographs to be displayed as matted images as well. Displayed images will be available for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the benefit of the Pennypack Trust. Details will be provided prior to the show.