Just four of the forty-seven finalists in the 7th Annual Appalachian Mountains Photo Competition

The competition judges have made their decisions, now it’s time to cast YOUR vote in the 7th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition.

Everyone is encouraged to participate in the Footsloggers People’s Choice Award. Cast your vote by visiting the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone, N.C., and viewing the entries in person or by clicking to appmtnphotocomp.org to view the exhibited images and vote for your favorite online.

Voting ends at 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 26.

The preliminary judging round for the competition selected 47 images from a total of 1,116 submissions. Categories included Landscape, Flora and Fauna, Culture, Adventure, Our Ecological Footprint, Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas and Blue Ridge Parkway Share the Journey.

Appalachian Voices’ Communication Coordinator, Jamie Goodman, served as one of the judges in this year’s competition.

“The entries this year were phenomenal, it was difficult to wean 47 from the over 1000 images,” Goodman said. “Choosing a winner from the finalists will be extremely challenging, but the three judges also have very individualized tastes. I highly recommend that everyone participate in the People’s Choice voting to select the image they think should be the winner.”

The exhibition, which debuted at the Downtown Boone Art Crawl on March 5, will remain on display at the Turchin Center until June 5.

The final round of judging will be completed in conjunction with the Banff Mountain Film Festival on Saturday, March 27. First place photos will be named for each of the seven categories, and Best in Show will be awarded.

Appalachian Voices served as 2010 sponsor for the newly renamed environmental category, Our Ecological Footprint.