The Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation’s annual photo contest has returned with a bang.

By allowing online entries and waiving the entry fee, the MTRP Foundation achieved its goal of making the contest more accessible and having more participants. This year, MTRPF received 295 submissions from as many photographers and our three judges selected 120 photos to be on display at the visitor center.

The exhibition is open to the public and is on view from May 7 – June 17 during the center’s regular hours, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Come by before June 4 to cast your ballot for the people’s choice award. People’s choice voting can only be done in person and is limited to one vote per person. The photo contest winners, including people’s choice and best in show, will be announced at the awards ceremony.

The photo contest awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 5 from 2-4 p.m., also at the visitor center. Registration is not required for the event, but seating is limited in our theater so please be aware that you may not get a seat. Allow time for parking and plan to perhaps walk from the overflow parking lot on Jackson Drive and Mission Gorge Road as parking is impacted on weekends.

MTRPF is excited to be finally staging the 28th MTRP photo contest after a two-year suspension and proud to display the unique perspectives our MTRP community has captured in each and every photo. If you submitted to the contest and your photo was not selected to be shown in the visitor center, note that your photo will be featured in an online gallery on the MTRP website if it followed contest guidelines.

Many thanks to judges Julia Dixon-Evans, Dolwain Green, and Rick Wiley, and the MTRP Foundation’s student intern, Izzy Capinski, for their contributions to this year’s photo contest.

Photo by Christine Jeng.