Photo, poetry contest winners announced!
The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association hosted photo and poetry contests during the coronavirus quarantines as a way to encourage families to get outdoors and reconnect with nature while staying properly distanced.
In the photo contest, a total of 117 images taken by photographers from throughout the Middle Susquehanna River watershed drew 729 votes in the first Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association photo contest. All images submitted in each of the 12-and-under and teen categories received at least one vote, as did 60 of the 74 adult-submitted photos.
Voting was encouraged online, and guest judges were also factored into the final score. Award-winning photojournalist Robert Inglis, of Danville, joined renowned nature photographers Dr. Joseph Simons, of Wilkes-Barre, and Michael Kinney, of Williamsport, to choose their favorite entries. Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association board members (which includes Simons) Kathy Snavely, Ann Fisher and Caz Russell also helped judge the contest beyond our online voting.
Winners were selected in three age categories: 12 and under, 13-17 and 18 and older:
In the photo contest, a total of 117 images taken by photographers from throughout the Middle Susquehanna River watershed drew 729 votes in the first Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association photo contest. All images submitted in each of the 12-and-under and teen categories received at least one vote, as did 60 of the 74 adult-submitted photos.
Voting was encouraged online, and guest judges were also factored into the final score. Award-winning photojournalist Robert Inglis, of Danville, joined renowned nature photographers Dr. Joseph Simons, of Wilkes-Barre, and Michael Kinney, of Williamsport, to choose their favorite entries. Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association board members (which includes Simons) Kathy Snavely, Ann Fisher and Caz Russell also helped judge the contest beyond our online voting.
Winners were selected in three age categories: 12 and under, 13-17 and 18 and older:
Photo contest: Adult category
First place in the adult category was Darlene Hoffman, of Selinsgrove, with a photo of a sunset along the Susquehanna River near its convergence at Sunbury. See a larger version of her image by clicking No. 6 in the gallery below.
Second place went narrowly to Rachel Deitrick, of Watsontown, with a scenic landscape photo of a field with bales and the sky above. Check out image No. 32 below. Two of her other images (45 and 50) also received quite a bit of attention. |
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Third place went to Duayne Foust, of Sunbury, for an image of butterflies resting along the banks of the Susquehanna River. It is image No. 3 in the gallery below. Several other images of Foust's did well, including No. 36, shown to the right. |
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Check out all of the adult category entries below. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Photo contest: Teen category
Alana Eicher, 16, of Mifflinburg, took top honors with a creekside photo taken while on a hike with her family near Chimney Rock. It is listed at No. 6 in the gallery below. Another of her images, No. 10, also did well. |
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Second place went to 15-year-old Luciano Spaventa, of Northumberland, with a photo of pink tree blossoms framed with a blue sky behind. It can be found in the gallery below at No. 12. Other images that Luciano submitted that did well included No. 5 and No. 1 in the gallery. |
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Check out all of the adult category entries below. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Photo contest: 12-under category
First place in the 12-and-under category was won by Noah Stump, 12, of Shamokin, with a photo of a bridge found in Wesley Forest near Weikert. It is photo No. 1 in the gallery below. Noah had several other photos do well, including Nos. 12, 2 and 15 in the gallery below. |
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The second place photographer was Marina Baca, 11, of Scranton, with a cool image of clouds, sharing: "The photo I took was of the afternoon sky in my backyard. I just thought the clouds looked so awesome that day." Her image is No. 3 in the gallery below. |
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Check out all of the adult category entries below. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Poetry contest winners
Two winners were chosen in our Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper poetry contests, including Selinsgrove 8-year-old Emma Straub, pictured above with her prize, an original print by Ian Adrian, of Winfield.
Emma won the youth division with a haiku she wrote:
They’re precious nature.
They are sweet because they bloom.
Flowers are God’s gift.
They’re precious nature.
They are sweet because they bloom.
Flowers are God’s gift.
Paige Kepner, of Muncy, won the adult category with a series of nature-based haikus:
gray mist ghosts by
gray clouds coat the sky
water talks over rocks
a lone jay calls
bubbles part ways over rocks
leafless trees stand watch
perched at water’s edge
looking ... listening
... living ... a river moment
fading sunlight
silvered ripples
reflection blinded
wrens ring the woods
cool breezes caress
russet leaves dangle
as the river flows by
camp chair cradled
snapping pictures, writing poems
praying with creation
gray mist ghosts by
gray clouds coat the sky
water talks over rocks
a lone jay calls
bubbles part ways over rocks
leafless trees stand watch
perched at water’s edge
looking ... listening
... living ... a river moment
fading sunlight
silvered ripples
reflection blinded
wrens ring the woods
cool breezes caress
russet leaves dangle
as the river flows by
camp chair cradled
snapping pictures, writing poems
praying with creation
Congratulations to all the amazing entries!
If you have any feedback, or would like to share some of your favorite outdoors-based images or poetry based on the Middle Susquehanna River watershed, contact John Zaktansky at midsusriver@gmail.com or 570-768-6300.