Did you take that magical photo this year while hiking or riding your horse on the PCT? Got a great shot of the scenery, wildlife or volunteers taking care of the trail?

Then enter our annual photo contest.

We’ll select many of the pictures we’ll publish in 2016 from those entered in the contest. We use volunteer photos in a variety of ways to promote the trail and our work – from the cover of our magazine and the pages of our calendar to our promotional materials and our website. Volunteering your creative work lets you give back to the trail that you love.

Prizes provided by our friends at LEKI

This year, we are awarding prizes for the top three overall winners. Judges will pick three winners in each category and then choose the best three of the entire show.

First Place – $500 worth of LEKI gear

Second Place – $300 worth of LEKI gear

Third Place – $200 worth of LEKI gear

Winners will be announced in the spring/summer 2016. Winning pictures will be published on the PCTA website. Only residents of the United States are eligible to win prizes. Sorry, international shipping is cost-prohibitive. PCTA thanks LEKI USA for their generous support and for making this contest possible.

Contest categories

Trail Majesty – A photo that captures the beauty of the PCT.

Human Spirit – A photo along the PCT that shows hikers or horseback riders and captures the essence of being there.

Equestrian – Any photo along the PCT that shows horses/stock and/or their riders in their PCT environment.

Trail Work – Photos of PCTA or other trail maintenance volunteers along the PCT.

Flora and Fauna – Photos of plants and animals along the PCT.

Submission guidelines

Digital images must be submitted online at www.pcta.org/volunteer/creative-works/photo-contest/

Submission deadline is February 22, 2016.

You must be a PCTA member to enter.

Photos can be color or black & white digital images of any location along the Pacific Crest Trail.

JPEG or TIFF files are allowed but must be in a high resolution (at least 300 dots-per- inch or approximately 1000×1500 pixels for a 3×5 photo).

If you ’d like your photos to be considered for our annual calendar or magazine covers, they should be at least 8.5×11 inches at 300 dpi or approx. 2500×3300 pixels in size.

Each photo must include a working title, location and a detailed caption.

Photos can be horizontal or vertical. Please upload in the proper orientation.

You can enter up to 10 photos per category.

Questions? Contact: Daniel Carmin-Romack at [email protected]

Your photographs help the PCTA protect the Pacific Crest Trail, the surrounding landscape and the hiking and equestrian experience for future generations. Thank you for helping to further our mission through your photography.