NRV Fall Photo Contest Winners!
Awarded Native Garden Builds
The “Fall Into The NRV” Photo Contest was loaded with sensational entries from all around the New River Valley! Free and open to all, the inaugural contest welcomed participants to share and celebrate local beauty through photography and story-telling.
“October Grazing” (pictured above) received the most overall votes in the entire contest, in route to winning category III. Mary VanSteenberghe captured this beautiful snapshot of a “mother and calf enjoying an early autumn sunset along the Huckleberry Trail” in Blacksburg, Virginia. As one of four contest winners, Mary will be awarded a free, native, garden build, to be provided by the contest hosts in the Spring of 2023.
Taking 1st place in the professional category (category IV) was “Fall Love”, by April Quesenberry of Capturing Dreams Photography. For locals of the NRV, this picturesque moment at Sinkland Farms (Christiansburg, Va) is likely to stir autumn sentiments like cinnamon sticks and apple cider.
“Feeding Squirrels at Bissett Park”, by Jonah Thornton, won 1st place in category I (participant ages, 13-and-under). Also from Radford, Va, is the winner of category II, Misty Quesenberry, for her photo titled “God Bless America ''.
Many of the honorable mentions (some pictured below) were also quite spectacular! If you haven’t yet been able to see the other entries from around the NRV, don’t you worry! The complete contest album is available to the public and can be viewed by joining the Facebook group GROW Radford!
Contest hosts and the creation team all reside in the “New River City”, including the collective network known as Feeding Appalachia, alongside Planetary Produce (LLC) and Nursery Natives, a non-profit ogranization, focusing on the restoration of native ecoystems, food sources and community.
Contest Details: Photo entries from around the NRV, during Fall, were accepted through December 11th when voting concluded. Winners were selected by popular vote from members of the public via most "Likes & Loves" in the contest photo album.
Category I: Ages 13 & under
Category II: Ages 14 - 22
Category III: Ages 23 & over (amateur)
Category IV: All ages (professional)
Interested in Joining the next Contest? You can stay up to date by subscribing to the Feeding Appalachia Newsletter for free now using the button below, or contact us directly at FeedingAppalachiaNow@gmail.com
What’s happening now in GROW Radford!?
The “Winter Celebrations of Radford” Community Photo Album is open to all who are interested in viewing and/or contributing their favorite holiday moment!
Appalachian Culture Month: A Meaningful Petition for Community and Tradition. Via change.org, this GROWING petition declares Appalachian Culture Month to be in October of each year. Help us make this happen by joining!
What’s upcoming?
The Community Cookbook Initiative. The “GROW Radford!” Facebook group will host an album for all interested NRV residents to view and/or contribute their favorite recipes, starting in January. Stay tuned!