About

Earl Shaffer documented his 1948 first ever continuous end to end thru hike of the entire Appalachian Trail with a Kodak Retina I Type 143 camera with color Kodachrome film. His amazing photos were some of the very first color images from the Appalachian Trail. His work gave incredible insight into that first Appalachian Trail thru hike experience. His passion for sharing his photography and the love of long distance hiking is celebrated in this contest presented by the Earl Shaffer Foundation and the Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hiker Association.

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This contest celebrates Earl Shaffer's pioneering spirit and his beautiful documentation of the Appalachian Trail through his photography. We are excited to announce that submissions for the 2025 annual Earl Shaffer Memorial Photography Contest are now open! We encourage you to participate and share your own photographic moments and memories of our trails. Check your phone or camera rolls for your best shots to share!

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Dates

The 2025 Earl Shaffer Photography Contest is open to ALDHA members attending the 43rd Annual Gathering this October 10-13 in Abingdon, VA.

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Submission Requirements and Details
• Submission Period: From now until October 10, 2025 by 6:00 p.m. Entries will be accepted by email only! Please submit all entries to earlshafferfoundation(at)gmail.com
• Eligible Entries: Entries must be your own minimally edited photographs. AI images are not eligible. Your entries may be used by the presenting organizations in the future always giving you credit! 
• All digital entries will be printed 8X10 for judging purposes.
• For printing an 8x10 image, a good rule of thumb is to aim for a minimum resolution of 2400 x 3000 pixels, which translates to 300 pixels per inch (PPI)
• YOU MAY ENTER ONE PHOTOGRAPH PER CATEGORY BY INDIVIDUALLY EMAILING THE PHOTO PUTTING THE CATEGORY YOU ARE ENTERING IN THE SUBJECT LINE!
• IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL ABOUT HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST THIS YEAR PLEASE CALL MISS JANET AT 423-483-062(zero)

Contest Highlights:
• Voting: ALDHA members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite photos to pick the 3 finalists for each of the five traditional categories. 
• Exhibition: The top three photos in each category will be displayed at the ALDHA Gathering. A selected panel of judges will choose the winners!
• Awards: Winners will be announced and prizes presented at the Gathering.