In celebration of Diane Van Deren’s run of the MST, Great Outdoor Provision Co. and The North Face have donated great prizes to raise money for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

7 Grand Prizes:
$500 Great Outdoor Provision Co. Gift Cards

Other Prizes:
Gear from The North Face

Drawings: June 2nd, 2012 at 6:00p

One grand prize will be drawn at each of Great Outdoor Provision Co.’s seven stores during their “National Trails Day Party.”

Purchase your raffle tickets below through PayPal (you do not have to have a PayPal account to make the purchase), and we will enter your name into the drawing. (Winners who are not present at the drawing will be contacted by phone/email.)

Single Raffle Tickets are $5 each

Sets of 5 Raffle Tickets are $20 per set

This 88-mile section, which parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway from Beacon Heights north to the Devil’s Garden Overlook, begins at the rugged base of Grandfather Mountain. Grandfather Mountain is an imposing figure, dominating the surrounding countryside as it tops out at nearly 6,000 feet. It’s home to 16 distinct ecological communities, is one of only 553 certified biosphere reserves in the world, and it has some of the most volatile weather on the East Coast. Fortunately, the MST explores its leeward southeast flank, protecting the hiker from the worst of its notorious weather while allowing a generous sampling of its natural wonder.

Read more

who may enter
Amateur and professional photographers, except for employees of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Great Outdoor Provision Co., and their immediate families (children, siblings and spouses).

what to enter

Photos will be judged in three categories:
Views from the Trail
People on the Trail

Youth Photographer, 17 and under (either of the above subjects)

• Photographs must have been taken on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail no earlier than August 1, 2008.

• Photos must be submitted electronically.
• Photos should be unaltered beyond standard optimization (cropping, adjustment to color and contrast, etc.)
• Actual file size may not exceed 2048 kb (2mb) and must be in jpeg. format.
• Photos must be submitted by photographers 18 years and older.
• Photos must be received no later than April 15, 2011.
• Each photographer may enter up to two photos per category.

Entries may not contain any text or images aside from that contained in the subject matter. Date stamps, sig­natures, frames and trail camera infor­mation are not per­mit­ted, regardless of whether they are added during or after the image is photo­graphed. Original images may be cropped to eliminate date stamps or other text.

An entrant must hold all rights to a photograph. Photos previously published or pending publication, or that violate or infringe upon another person’s copyright, are not eligible.

how to enter

Fill out the form here. You will then be instructed on where to email your photo. Only JPEG files 2 MB or smaller will be accepted for upload. Repeat this process for each photo entered. Entrants may submit a maximum of two (2) photos per category.

The competition begins at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, August 1, 2011. Entries must be uploaded by 5:00 p.m. Monday, October 31, 2011. Entrants may verify receipt of entries by checking www.ncmst.org and clicking the Photo Competition link to view a text list of all entries.

An image may be entered in only one category. Entrants in the youth categories must be under 18 years old on the clos­ing date of the competition. Once a youth photo­grapher has entered two photos in the youth category, he or she may enter other photos in other categories.

prizes

All winners will be published in the January 2012 e-newsletter of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and on the website, www.ncmst.org. In addition, the winning photographs in the three categories will be published in FMST’s 2011 annual report, published in June 2012

First place, all categories: $100 and your photograph published in FMST’s 2011 annual report

Second place, all categories: $75 gift card from Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Third place, all categories: $50 gift card from Great Outdoor Provision Co.

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Judging

• The judging panel will select winning photos and announce their decision no later than November 30, 2011. Winners will be notified by e-mail.
• Winning photographs will be posted on the NC Coastal Federation web site no later than January 15, 2012.
• Images will be judged on technical excellence, composition, originality, and subject matter.
• The judges are a panel of professional and amateur photographers with a passion for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Their decisions are final.

When I submit a photo to the photo contest, what rights does the National Geographic Society have to my submission?

National Geographic will have the nonexclusive, perpetual right to use your image in connection with the contest and promotion of the contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including, but not limited to: display at a potential exhibition of winners; publication of a book featuring select entries in the contest; publication in National Geographic magazine or online, highlighting entries or winners of the contest.
a photo is chosen for publication in the magazine, it will be scrutinized for possible alterations.

What should I include in the description of my photograph?

Captions are a good way to engage others in your photography. So take the time to write about the place, time, setting, and situation.

Are captions fact-checked for accuracy?

We trust our users to give accurate caption information, so we do not research or fact-check their captions. However, if a photo is chosen for publication in the magazine, it will be fact-checked.

FIRST PLACE - YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHER - Sea Oats at Nags Head - Miranda Knox

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail was selected as one of North Carolina’s 10 Natural Wonders by voters in a contest sponsored by Land for Tomorrow.

Land for Tomorrow solicited nominations of landscapes, natural features, animals, and plants unique to North Carolina. Some 1,300 nominations yielded 200 potential candidates. A panel of prominent North Carolinians selected 25 finalists. More than 3,000 citizens cast votes to choose the 10 natural wonders.

Five of the other ten wonders selected are on the MST route:

Blue Ridge Parkway — the trail follows the parkway for more than 200 miles
Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout — the MST passes Cape Hatteras on the trek up the Outer Banks to Jockey’s Ridge
Grandfather Mountain — the Mountain is just a short sidetrip off the trail
Great Smoky Mountains — the trail starts at Clingmans Dome — the highest peak in the national park
Ocracoke Island — the island is southern point of the MST route on the Outer Banks

The other four sites are wonderful places too. They are:

Lake Mattamuskeet
Lumber River
Merchants Millpond State Park
New River

Reid Wilson, executive director of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, said the contest proves that “North Carolina has something to offer nature lovers of every description.” Wilson continued: “We had a great time reading everyone’s arguments in favor of their favorite spots. Each one is worthy of that affection, no matter how small or little-known. People who live in North Carolina and those who love to visit are passionate about protecting their favorite places and — with their support — we’ll continue to put that passion into action to safeguard these beloved natural wonders.”

Kate Dixon, executive director of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, said “We are delighted that people recognize that the MST is a natural wonder in itself – a place where one natural wonder follows another. We hope people will get out to explore the trail and experience North Carolina’s extraordinary beauty and diversity.”

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail was just voted one of North Carolina’s top 10 natural wonders. Ian Fraher, Greensboro’s “Backpacking Examiner”, blogged about it.