December 11, 2013 

Essex Heritage is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Essex National Heritage Area Photo Contest.  The annual photo contest encourages amateur photographers 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 & Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites. 

From rocky coasts and harbors, to rural farms and historic downtowns, photographers of all ages vividly captured a variety of Essex County’s historic, cultural and natural resources for their award-winning submissions to this year’s contest.  The fourteen Photo Contest winners were selected by a panel of judges that included representatives from Essex Heritage and the National Park Service, as well as Mr. Roy Haddock, President, Merrimack Valley Camera Club and Mr. Kevin Griffin, Treasurer, Merrimack Valley Camera Club.  All of the photographs were taken within the Essex National Heritage Area and represent one of four contest categories: Images of the Essex National Heritage Area; The Merrimack Valley; People and Places; and the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway.  Area youth, ages 5-16, were also encouraged to enter the Photo Contest to win a “Youth Entry” prize in any of the contest categories.  The winners are:

Grand Prize Winner

  • Rockport Dock, Rockport by Ken Jordan of Lynn

Category: Images of the Essex National Heritage Area

  • 1st Prize: Fall Colors at Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill by Martha Akey of Haverhill
  • 2nd Prize: Early Morning on the Merrimack (at Lowell’s Boat Shop), Amesbury by Suzanne DeGeorge of Newburyport
  • 3rd Prize: Sunflowers at Colby Farm, Newbury by Stanley Slysz of Salem

Category: The Merrimack Valley

  • 1st Prize: The Chapel at West Parish, Andover by Peggy Erb of Andover
  • 2nd Prize: Chicken Crossing The Road, Middle Road, Newbury by Ken Jordan of Lynn
  • 3rd Prize:  October Sunrise on the Merrimack River, Newburyport by Suzanne DeGeorge of Newburyport

Category: People and Places

  • 1st Prize: Hail Helianthus! at Colby Farm, Newbury by Susan Plutsky of Beverly
  • 2nd Prize: Fireworks over the Friendship, Salem Maritime NHS, Rick Matthias of Salem
  • 3rd Prize:  Kayaking the Danvers River in Beverly by Elaine Gauthier of Middleton

Category: Essex Coastal Scenic Byway

  • 1st Prize: Winter Island Snow, Salem by Stanley Slysz of Salem
  • 2nd Prize: The Essex at Burnham’s Boat Yard, Essex by Don Erb of Andover
  • 3rd Prize:  Eastern Point Sunset, Gloucester by Steven Perlmutter of North Andover

Youth Entry Prize:

  • “Far and Away,” Plum Island, Newburyport by Kerry Reynolds of Georgetown

The public is invited to attend the 2013 Photo Contest Reception on Thursday, January 23, 2014, at 6:00 PM, at the new gallery at Hunt’s Photo & Video in Melrose (located at 100 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176-6104).  At the reception, photographers will be presented with their awards and visitors will have a chance to meet the photographers as well as preview the 2013 Photo Contest Exhibit.  The reception is a free event; please call Essex Heritage at (978) 740-0444 to RSVP.

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). 

See all the winning photographs on our Photo Contest page.

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.

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About Hunt’s Photo & Video

Hunt’s Photo and Video is the largest specialty retailer of photo, video and digital imaging products in New England.  Family owned and operated for three generations, Hunt’s is headquartered in Melrose, MA, with branch locations in Boston, Cambridge and Hadley, MA, Providence, RI, So. Portland, ME, and Manchester, NH.  Serving beginners, students, hobbyists and professional photographers throughout the United States, Hunt’s has created its own picture of success with competitive pricing, sales expertise and exceptional customer service.  Visit Hunt’s online at www.huntsphotoandvideo.com