Got hiking photos? Green Mountain Club has a photo contest
August 10, 2026 | By Waterbury Roundabout
Red Eft: 2025 entry from the Chittenden Brook Trail by Krista Cheney
The Green Mountain Club’s annual photo contest is underway with a call for photos taken on Vermont hikes in the past three years.
Hikers can share some of their favorite moments and scenes along Vermont’s trails. Individuals may submit up to three photos for each of the four contest categories: Trail Features, Hikers, Flora and Fauna, and Landscapes and Views.
One overall contest winner will be selected, as well as one winner from each category. One Hiker's Choice winner will be voted on by the public.
Not only does the contest reward hikers for their photographs, but it also supports the club by helping crowd-source its supply of images that it can use in its newsletters, publications and digital communications. Contest entrants may see their photos on future Green Mountain Club communications.
Prizes for the contest winners include new Long Trail graphic Nalgenes, Grey Owl Design Long Trail wall hangings, local maple syrup, and Green Mountain Club store gift cards.
Aug. 31 is the submission deadline. Fifteen images will be selected for honorable mentions and as contenders for the Hiker’s Choice award. Those selections will be announced on Sept. 4, and voting on them will be open until Sept. 11. All winners will be announced on Sept. 14.
The 2025 grand prize winner is this view of the Spruce Lodge Shelter by Mark Paquin
Contest rules are simple: Images from the past three years are allowed; they must be captioned; and they must depict scenes from hikes on the Long Trail and its side trails, the Vermont Appalachian Trail or Northeast Kingdom trails.
More details on the contest categories, rules, and the submission form are online here along with galleries of photos from past years’ contests.
Founded in 1910, the nonprofit Green Mountain Club built the 272-mile Long Trail stretching through Vermont from Massachusetts to Canada. Today the club cares for the Long Trail, its connecting side trails and other trails that together measure roughly 500 miles. Based in Waterbury, the club is a resource for hikers throughout Vermont, offering programs and events, books, maps, merchandise and expertise. More information: greenmountainclub.org
The 2025 Hiker's Choice Award went to 'Up For Dawn' from Camel's Hump by Joseph Iadanza