Submit your National Recreation Trail (NRT) Photos by December 15th

Submit your photos for the NRT photo contest that highlight the diversity of the NRTs and to make more Americans familiar with these great trails.

by Taylor Goodrich, Communication and Media Specialist, American Trails

American Trails sponsors the annual contest for photographs of designated National Recreation Trails across the country. Our annual contest provides awards in several categories and shows off entries (and previous winners) on the NRT website.

The goal is to highlight the diversity of the NRTs and to make more Americans familiar with these great trails. We're looking for good photos of trail users as well as special facilities, art on the trails, management issues, construction, and volunteers. We also want to see entries that cover the many types and uses of National Recreation Trails throughout America.

Award Categories

We will give awards in the following categories. Photos will be considered for all relevant categories.

TRAIL USE

Accessibility

Hiking and Walking

Equestrian

Paddling and Water Trails

Bicycling

Off-Highway Vehicle riding

Snowmobiling

Skiing, Snowshoeing, and Dogsledding

TRAIL MANAGEMENT



Trail Sharing

Training and Education

Trail Work

Youth and Volunteers

Health and Fitness

TRAIL FEATURES

Urban Trails and Greenways

Rail and Canal Trails

Historic Features

Scenery and Natural Features

Arts and Interpretation

Innovative Facilities

Environmental Features, Flora, and Fauna

ARTISTIC MERIT

The trail as photographic inspiration

View Past Winning Entries

Winning photos are selected not just for visual appeal but for the aspects that make up a trail: the volunteers, the ingenuity of design, and a the varieties of users. Take a look at the winners we've selected over the years and you'll see we why we work to celebrate this vital part of the National Trails System.

Browse Photos

How to Enter

Step 1: Make sure your photos qualify

Photos must be in digital JPEG or TIFF format

Submit up to TEN photos per trail.

Make sure your photos are on designated National Recreation Trails

Step 2: Record the follow details for each of your entries

Name of the NRT where photo(s) taken State and general location of trail Caption or brief description of the subject Your name Photographer's name, if different Organization, if any Mailing address Email Website address

Step 3: Send your photos to us

1. You can email photos as attachments to [email protected] if under 15 mb per email

2. Upload via an online site such as the following resources:

These are free resources so long as you send one file at a time under 100 mb in size (HighTail has a limit up to 250mb).

Note:

By entering the contest you are giving us permission to use the photos for publicity and promotion of National Recreation Trails. This includes use on the websites of the NRT Program, American Trails, and cooperating agencies and organizations, as well as their non-commercial publications. You retain all other rights to your photos.