First-ever Valley Forge photo contest brings out the best local photographers

Matteo Iadonisi Image
Friday, November 13, 2020
First-ever Valley Forge photo contest brings out the best local photographers
Calling all photographers: Valley Forge National Historical Park is looking for your most stunning, beautiful, and breathtaking snapshots!

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (WPVI) -- Judith Grubb has been taking pictures since she was 13 years old.

"Photography is my outlet to keep my creative juices going," she said. "During COVID, it has enabled me to find peace in a different world that we're living in."

Grubb has her sights set on one photo spot above all others.

"My heart belongs to Valley Forge," she said.

For the last 20 years, she has been visiting Valley Forge National Historical Park to take photographs. And for the first time ever, the Valley Forge Park Alliance is giving her a chance to compete with her snapshots.

Fellow photographers have until November 18 to submit their own photographs in accordance with the official rules. The contest focuses on three categories: fall foliage, monuments and structures, and wildlife.

"You can come for the history, you can come for the structures. There are so many picturesque locations throughout the park," said Laura Manion.

Manion was born and raised just a mile down the road from the recreation and tourism destination. As a frequent visitor, she once complained that there were not enough trash cans on the trails. That sparked a career of activism, as she now sits on the board of the Valley Forge Park Alliance.

"The Park is vast, very large, and there's so many different trails and so many different things to do and I think that's a really great escape for people who need it," she said.

Manion notes that the park has seen an uptick in visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic began. She asks all guests to pick up their own trash and avoid parking on the grass.

To learn more about the park and its contest, visit their website.

RELATED: One cardinal for every life lost to COVID-19 in New Jersey is wildlife photographer's quarantine project

Rick Fichter has posted over 8,000 photographs of Cardinals, representing the lives lost to COVID-19 in New Jersey. Community Journalist Matteo introduces us.