![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-1134.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN | OHIOPYLE STATE PARK<\/p>\n
Professional and amateur photographers alike have the chance to be featured in the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation\u2019s photo showcase gallery.<\/p>\n
The organization has opened submissions for its 2026 Annual Photo Contest, which invites photographers of all skill levels to capture the beauty, heritage and community of Pennsylvania\u2019s state parks and forests.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme, \u201cFreedom to Explore,\u201d celebrates 250 years of Pennsylvania\u2019s outdoor heritage. PPFF encourages participants to celebrate their experiences in a favorite place or spark an entirely new adventure in Pennsylvania\u2019s ample wilds.<\/p>\n
PPFF\u2019s blue ribbon panel of experts will select a Judges\u2019 Choice in each category prior to the photos being made available for public voting on the PPFF Facebook page. The top vote-getter among all submissions will be named the People\u2019s Choice Best in Show.<\/p>\n
Award winners may be included on PPFF\u2019s website, Facebook page and other electronic and print communications. Award winning photographs may also be showcased in photo exhibitions at locations and times yet to be determined.<\/p>\n
The organization has traditionally offered state park gift cards to our winning photographers and expects them to be available for 2026. The prizes are as follows:<\/p>\n
\u00a0Both Best in Show winners (People\u2019s Choice and Judges\u2019 Choice) receive a $75 gift card.
\n\u00a0The People\u2019s Choice and Judges\u2019 Choice winners in each category receive a $50 gift card.
\n\u00a0The runner-up in each category receives a $25 gift card.<\/p>\n
Photographers may submit images under the following categories:<\/p>\n
Pursuit of Happiness: Joy, play, quiet moments, and relaxation in nature.
\nFreedom to Belong: People of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities enjoying public lands; inclusive recreation.
\nVoices of the Land: Stories of place \u2014 historic structures, cultural sites, Indigenous landscapes, CCC legacy, and ecological features.
\nWe the Stewards: Volunteers, conservation work, community caretaking, youth programs, and trail crews.
\nPaths Through Time: Natural and cultural heritage; landscapes that have witnessed centuries of change; \u201cthen & now\u201d recreation.
\nYoung Photographer (Ages 12\u201317): PPFF encourages young photographers to use the five main categories above to guide their submissions.<\/p>\n
All photos must be taken in a Pennsylvania state park or forest, and each submission must be in .jpg form and be identified with your name, the category entered and the state park\/forest in which it was taken. Each photo can only be entered into one category. For additional rules and information, visit the organization\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n All entries must be received by Sept. 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Winners will receive a gift card, be featured across the organization\u2019s marketing and be showcased in a photo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187457,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5091,28,30,29,63393,71102,4044,73],"class_list":["post-187456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-nature","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-pennsylvania-parks-and-forests-foundation","tag-pennsylvania-state-parks","tag-photography","tag-pittsburgh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}