Photographers Captured Local Charm For Contest

ESSEX COUNTY, MA – Local photographers worked to capture the essence of Essex County for the 2016 Essex National Heritage Area Photo Contest, and they did not disappoint.

Photographers captured a range of landscapes, downtown areas, and coasts for the contest, and 13 photographers were selected by a three-judge panel. The judges were John Andrews, owner of Creative Salem and Social Palates; three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Stanley Forman; and professional photographer Scott Ryder.

Check out the winning entries of the Essex Heritage Photo Contest

One winner, John Quinn of Beverly, was chosen by public votes through Essex Heritage's Facebook page. Quinn's entry depicted a cider donut run in Ipswich – a well-known autumn errand for most North Shore residents.

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 "Go Coastal." Youth, ages 5-17, were also encouraged to enter the Photo Contest to win a "Youth Entry" prize in any of the contest categories.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m. the public is invited to the photo contest reception in the gallery at Hunt's Photo & Video in Melrose. The winning photos will be on display for one year at the National Park Service Visitor Center in Salem, and in the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission office in Haverhill.

Here are all the winners:

Grand Prize Winner

· Caught in a Vortex in Rockport by Amy Smith of Gloucester

People’s Choice Winner

· Cider Donut Run in Ipswich by John Quinn of Beverly

Category: This Land is Your Land

· 1st Prize: Holding Beauty at Crane Estate in Ipswich by Laura Ganz of Salem

· 2nd Prize: Are You My Mother by Sue Plutsky, Gloucester

· 3rd Prize: Gathering Flowers at Tendercrop Farm in Newbury by Vicki Dakin of Lynn

Category: Downtown

· 1st Prize: Supreme Roast Beef Diner Facade in Gloucester by Karen Hosking of Salem

· 2nd Prize: Rocky Hill Meetinghouse 1785 in Amesbury by Ken Jordan of Lynn

· 3rd Prize: Foggy Good Morning in Gloucester by Judy McCann of Dracut

Category: Go Coastal

· 1st Prize: After the Storm by Rick Matthias, Salem

· 2nd Prize: Owl in Dunes in Salisbury by Jacob Mosser III of North Reading

· 3rd Prize: Fish House at Dusk by Neal Rodgers, Swampscott

Youth Winner

· This Land Is MY Land by Sydney Lee Jolivet, Newbury

Photos via the Essex National Heritage Commission, by Amy Smith, John Quinn, and Laura Ganz