2023 Contest Finalists

A Wall of Fog Clouds

Jay Huron

Amateur Photographer

Alleghany in the White

Joanna Davis

Amateur Photographer

Antler Village Sunset

Mandy Quinzi

Amateur Photographer

Autumn at the Barn

Jennifer Johnston

Amateur Photographer

Cherokee Bluebird

Janie Witte

Amateur Photographer

Cone Manor from Bass Lake

Chris Cottrell

Professional Photographer

Dandelion Tug of War

Carolyn Thornhill-Marth

Amateur Photographer

Down By The River

Jay Michaud

Professional Photographer

Dry Falls

Gary Hurley

Amateur Photographer

Fall Barn

Bob Scott

Amateur Photographer

Fall in the Mountains of Burnsville

Sandra Henley

Amateur Photographer

Foggy Tree

David Serven

Amateur Photographer

Frozen Falls

Kristina Hernandez

Amateur Photographer

Golden Hour

Youssef Bnadad

Amateur Photographer

Graveyard Falls

Cameron Lane

Amateur Photographer

Hand of God

David Huff

Professional Photographer

Magic Rays

Spencer Carter

Amateur Photographer

My Friend Jackie

Joel Barto

Professional Photographer

Patience

Katherine Puckett

Professional Photographer

Pigeon River Under the Stars

Ezekiel Coppersmith

Professional Photographer

Proper English Waterfall

Nate Bowery

Professional Photographer

Stone Mountain Snow

Keith Hall

Amateur Photographer

Sunset Paddle

Kathy Kmonicek

Professional Photographer

Table Rock Sunset

Isaac Church

Amateur Photographer

The Cathedral

Marianne Weaver

Amateur Photographer

The Vista

Walker Winslow

Amateur Photographer

Turkeys in the Fog

Nadine Freeman

Amateur Photographer

Twisted Birch at Craggy

Jason Dockery

Professional Photographer

Upper Catawba Falls

Andre Cahill

Amateur Photographer

When Autumn and Winter Collide

Lisa Gregory

Amateur Photographer

Wonders of Fall

Karen Peron

Amateur Photographer

Yellow and Black Eastern Swallowtails on Turks Cap

Susan Stamey

Amateur Photographer

A Hawksbill Dream

Thomas Mabry

Amateur Photographer

Autumn in the High Country

Ryan Karcher

Professional Photographer

Dawn on Little River

Nolan Jones

Amateur Photographer

Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly Rests on a Reed

Ben Bafaloukos

Amateur Photographer

Fall Under the Stars

Mallory Fountain

Amateur Photographer

Finding gold at the end of the rainbow

Justin Potter

Professional Photographer

First Light at Rich Mountain

Eifel Kreutz

Amateur Photographer

Gold Rush

Thomas Moors

Professional Photographer

Lighting in the Mountains

Ezekiel Coppersmith

Professional Photographer

Look Up At Fall

Karl Hinterkopf

Amateur Photographer

Max Patch Morning

Andre Daugherty

Professional Photographer

Snow Globe

Leslie Restivo

Professional Photographer

Students

Robert Grand

Professional Photographer

The Prehistoric Waterfall

J Smilanic

Professional Photographer

The Rock

Rhonda Kingen

Professional Photographer

The rut

April Hopkins

Amateur Photographer

The Young Bull

Alan Taylor

Professional Photographer

Tom Brown barn, Mars Hill, NC

Judith Marquand

Amateur Photographer

True love

Anette Bennis

Amateur Photographer

Victory

Mike Koenig

Professional Photographer

Waking up Above the Clouds

Cody Owen

Amateur Photographer

Where Wonders Never Cease

Regina Shinall

Amateur Photographer

Winter Snow Black Bear at Max Patch

Jennifer Allen

Professional Photographer

Young Fox

Kathy Roberts

Professional Photographer

CONTEST DETAILS

ABOUT THE CONTEST

From scenic vistas to intriguing people to mountain sports, wildlife, and more, submit your best shots of Western North Carolina for the chance to win cash prizes and have your photos published in WNC magazine! The Images of WNC Photo Contest is open to professional and amateur photographers. One winner will be selected in each category and online voting will determine a Readers’ Choice winner. Finalists and the winners’ images will appear in the Spring 2023 issue of WNC magazine. Entries are accepted from December 4, 2022 - January 15, 2023. Winners will be notified in February.

Cash Prizes Awarded

• Professional Category: $400
• Amateur Category: $300
• Readers’ Choice: $200

PHOTO CONTEST RULES & GUIDELINES

This contest is for amateur and professional photographers. You may submit up to five photographs in one category. You may not submit photos in both categories. Each category will be judged by a panel of judges from WNC magazine, and the finalists will be featured in the Spring 2023 issue of the magazine. The panel will select a winner in each category and cash prizes will be awarded—$400 for the professional category and $300 for amateur. Payment will be made 90 days after publication.

For the Readers’ Choice winner, WNC magazine judges will narrow the selections for the online voting. One round of online voting will take place between January 29-February 11 to determine the winner. The Readers’ Choice winning photo will appear in the Spring 2023 issue of the magazine. The Readers’ Choice winner receives $200. Payment will be made 90 days after publication.

All submitted photographs must be of the Western North Carolina region and its people. All submitted photographs must be in digital format. Only online entries will be eligible. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this contest. All digital submissions must be 6 megabytes or smaller, in JPEG or .jpg format. The photographers of the images selected as finalists will be asked to provide a high-resolution (300 dpi, minimum 3,000 pixels wide) image, suitable for print. Any images submitted for consideration must not have been published elsewhere prior to the publication of WNC’s Spring 2023 issue.

By submitting for the contest, entrants agree to abide by the terms of these official rules and by the decisions of the contest administrators. Entrants grant to WNC magazine the right to use and publish their name and photograph online, in print and in promotions that solely pertain to the Images of WNC Photo Contest. This includes the possibility of using any submitted image for a cover of the Spring 2023 issue, use on our social media platforms (@wncmagazine, @WNCmagazine, and @WNC Magazine), as well as possible inclusion in future photo contest promotions. With the exclusion of the photographers’ images, the contest and all of the related print and online branded content and code are copyright of WNC magazine. Copying or unauthorized use of any copyrighted materials, trademarks, or any other intellectual property without the express written consent of its owner is strictly prohibited.

SEE LAST YEAR'S WINNERS

For our 2018/2019 Images of WNC Photo Contest, presented by Asheville Regional Airport, we received 770 entries that capture the natural beauty of our mountains. Thanks to all who entered and to you who voted for the Readers’ Choice winner (a whopping 7,066 votes were cast). Here, check out our finalists, honorable mentions, and top winners...Taking top honors in the Professional category is Patrick Williams with Fishing Below the Falls; in 1st place in the Amateur category is Nathan Bowery with Flipping at the Patch; and the Readers' Choice winner is pro photographer Michele Schwartz's image Craggy Mist. Congratulations to our winners!

To see last years winners CLICK HERE!

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