Grand Prize Winner - Keith Anderson Second Place - Ricky Hires

Honorable Mention - Richard Ondrovic

Associates Pick - Christy Elder

2006 Photo Contest Winners Announced

The ways to capture the beauty of Chimney Rock Park through the lens of a camera are as endless as our guests' creativity. This year’s Annual Photo Contest was a testimonial to just how creative our guests really are. The contest theme was "Summertime & the Livin’ is Easy." Entrants had a choice of categories: “A Serene Summer Moment in the Park;” “Our Family’s Summer Vacation;” and “It’s the Dog’s Day.” Our judges had a very difficult job narrowing down our grand prize, second prize and honorable mention categories.

Grand Prize goes to Keith Anderson of Raleigh, NC for wowing our judges by showing one very unique way to enjoy summer in the Park. “Mr. Anderson really captured the theme of the contest in that it reminds us that summer fun can be as simple as blowing bubbles in a gorgeous setting,” said Todd Morse, one of the judges and President of Chimney Rock Park. Keith and his wife Erin, shown in the photograph, win a one-on-one photography clinic for two, including an overnight stay at the Carter Lodge overlooking the Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock Village, lunch for two and a guided pontoon tour of Lake Lure. Additionally, Keith’s winning shot will be featured at the Hickory Nut Gorge Visitor’s Center. Upon hearing the news that he was our grand prize winner, Keith said, “Wow, I really didn’t think I had a chance. I thought some professional photographer would win it. We were just having fun!”

Our second prize goes to Ricky Hires of Sumter, SC for his fantastic shot of his sister “kissing the devil” at the Devil’s Head lookout. The judges noted “this photograph shows creativity, depth and clarity. It’s a highly usable photograph in promoting the Park.” Ricky wins four day passes to the Park and two-hour guided rock-climbing clinics for four with Fox Mountain Guides.

Richard Ondrovic of Greenville, SC must be a born shutterbug. His image of a guest silhouetted in the Subway fascinated our judges and our associates. “Our guests continually amaze us by all the new angles and perspectives they discover in our Park,” said Mary Jaeger-Gale, Vice President of Marketing for Chimney Rock Park. Another of Richard’s shots at the top of the Falls was an associates’ pick, as was the "tree in the rock" featured on this page. For earning his honorable mention, Richard wins a shopping spree in Chimney Rock Village and two Park tickets to come back and take some more award-winning shots.

Thanks to all of the outstanding entries that we received. Stay tuned for details of our 2007 Photo Contest. If you’ve got an idea for a theme, we’d love to hear from you!