Local Photographers Focus on Local Places To Win

Essex National Heritage Commission (Essex Heritage), a non-profit that manages and provides numerous programs preserving and enhancing Essex County’s historic, natural and cultural resources, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Essex National Heritage Area Photo Contest. The annual photo contest encourages photographers of all levels to “capture” the living landscapes, unique places and interesting people of Essex County, MA.  The contest is presented by Essex Heritage in partnership with Hunt’s Photo & Video, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, and the National Park Service at Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites. 

From rocky coasts and harbors, to rural farms, historic downtowns and parks, photographers of all ages vividly captured a variety of special places in Essex County for their award-winning submissions to this year’s contest. Thirteen of the fourteen winning images were selected by a panel of judges that included guest judges Joshua Basseches, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Peabody Essex Museum and three-time Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Stanley Forman. The “People’s Choice Winner” was chosen by 1,993 public votes via Essex Heritage’s Facebook page. All of the photographs were taken within the Essex National Heritage Area and represent one of four contest categories: “This Land Is Your Land”; “Downtown”; and “Shiny Happy People”. Youth, ages 5-17, were also encouraged to enter the Photo Contest to win a “Youth Entry” prize in any of the contest categories.

2014 Essex National Heritage Area Photo Contest Winners

Grand Prize Winner

  • Plum Island, Ipswich by Ken Jordan of Lynn

People’s Choice Winner

  • Winnekenni Castle, Haverhill by Alison Colby-Campbell of Haverhill

Category: This Land is Your Land

  • 1st Prize: Essex by David Stone of Ipswich

  • 2nd Prize: Plum Island by Linda Dahlberg of Newburyport

  • 3rd Prize:  Winter Island, Salem by Stanley Slysz of Salem

Category: Downtown (Everything’s Waiting for You)

  • 1st Prize: Basiliere Bridge, Haverhill by Alison Colby-Campbell of Haverhill

  • 2nd Prize: Rocky Neck, Gloucester by Susan Plutsky of Beverly

  • 3rd Prize: Gloucester Harbor, Gloucester by Regina R. Flynn of Salem

Category: Shiny Happy People

  • 1st Prize: Endicott Park, Danvers by Laura Ganz of Danvers

  • 2nd Prize: Wingaersheek Flats, Gloucester by Walter Kosmowski of Beverly

  • 3rd Prize:  Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester by Jennifer Maguire of Hamilton

Category: Youth Entries

  • 1st Prize: Riverfront State Park, Lawrence by Kimberly Guevara of Lawrence

  • 2nd Prize: Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Newbury by Kerry Reynolds of Georgetown

  • 3rd Prize:  Salem Harbor, Salem by Will Emerling of Salem

Click here to see all the winning images on our Photo Contest page.

Photo Contest Reception and Exhibit

The public is invited to attend the 2014 Photo Contest Reception on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 6 PM, in the gallery at Hunt’s Photo & Video in Melrose (located at 100 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176-6104). Learn more about the event.

The fourteen winning images will be exhibited for one year at the National Park Service Visitor Center in Salem (2 New Liberty Street, Salem, MA 01970) and at the office of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (160 Main Street, Haverhill, MA 01830).

Prints for the Essex National Heritage Area Photo Contest exhibits were generously provided by Hunt’s Photo & Video.  Prizes for the Photo Contest were generously contributed by Hunt’s Photo & Video and the National Park Service.