Submit your best Vermont hiking photos to the Green Mountain Club’s annual photo contest! Share how the trail has inspired, challenged, and awed you. Show us the people and pets you love to hike with, the details in the flora and fauna you’ve noticed as you connect with nature, the views that wow you, and the trails that have led you through Vermont.
Entering your photos is not only an artistic opportunity to share your trail experiences, but also a valuable way to give back to GMC. Sharing photos from your own trail experiences and adventures is important to the work we do: images are used in our annual calendar, in future editions of the Long Trail News, and on our social media channels as we share the work we do and connect with Vermont’s hiking community.
Contest Categories and Prizes
There are four categories for photo submissions: Trail Features; Hikers; Flora and Fauna; and Landscapes and Views. GMC staff will select one winner from each category and one overall contest winner. One Hiker’s Choice winner will be chosen, voted for by you. Contest prizes this year are:
- Grand Prize: A custom GMC beanie by Fourbital Factory and Camel’s Hump graphic Nalgene water bottle
- Category Winners: One winner in each category will each receive a $25 gift card to the GMC store and a Camel’s Hump graphic Nalgene water bottle
- Hiker’s Choice: GMC will select up to 15 honorable mention photos for Hiker’s Choice voting. The winning photographer will receive a custom GMC beanie by Fourbital Factory and Camel’s Hump graphic Nalgene water bottle
Contest submissions will remain open until Tuesday, September 2. The Hiker’s Choice voting selection will be announced on Friday, September 5 and voting will remain open until Friday, September 12. All winners will be announced on Monday, September 15.
Not sure which category your photo fits into? Read the descriptions below:
Trail Features: Trail infrastructure like shelters and privies, staircases and ladders, trail signs, paths winding through the woods, and other iconic trail landmarks.
Hikers: You and/or your hiking partners, whether they’re two-legged or four-legged. Candid or posed. Any photos that speak to what it means to be a hiker.
Flora and Fauna: Wildlife and plant life spotted between the trees, by the ponds, and on ridge lines.
Landscapes and Views: Vista views, mountain layers, cloud formation-filled skies, horizons painted by sunrises and sunsets.
Entry Requirements and Guidelines
- You must fill out the form fields with your first and last name and email.
- You may submit up to 3 entries in each submission category.
- Rename files using this naming format: Photographer Name_Date Taken_Location_Caption.jpg, for example JohnSmith_June2024_MountMansfieldSummit_StateHighPoint
- Include a short caption for each photo entry identifying where and when the photo was taken, and what is depicted.
- Photos can be from the past 3 years.
- Photos must be from hikes in Vermont on the Long Trail and its side trails, the Vermont Appalachian Trail, or Northeast Kingdom trails.
- Check that your files are not compressed, low resolution files. High-resolution digital photos, 300 dpi, in JPEG or TIFF format are preferred.
Experiencing difficulty submitting using the form? Send you entries and any questions to communications coordinator Lily LaRegina ([email protected]) and follow the same file naming conventions and caption guidelines as described above.
Stay up to date with photo contest updates, trail news, and club events through GMC’s Instagram, Facebook, and enewsletter.
Get inspired:
