Shutterbug alert: The ninth annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is now open for registration and submissions.

Amateur and professional photographers 13 years of age and older are encouraged to submit at www.appmtnphotocomp.org. The competition closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18.  

This annual event is the work of Appalachian State University Outdoor Programs, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The competition celebrates the unique people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians, but attracts entries from across the U.S.

The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition has grown into one of the region’s most prestigious photography competitions, with more than 600 submissions last year, and viewed in person by more than 10,000 people at the Turchin Center for Visual Arts in Boone.

Mast General Store is sponsoring five categories for this year’s competition, and will be providing more than $1,000 in prizes for those category winners.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is sponsoring the category Blue Ridge Parkway — A Ribbon of Road. Photographers are encouraged to capture images of the parkway that incorporate some aspect of the actual roadway itself.

Those submitting images to the Blue Ridge Parkway — A Ribbon of Road will be asked to identify the parkway location, and describe in a short story of a paragraph or more why the parkway is of particular significance as captured by the composition of the photograph. Entries will be judged on creativity, impact, subject matter, center of interest and storytelling — effectively sharing the journey by celebrating the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition offers seven separate categories that will be chosen as winners with more than $4,000 in cash and prizes. Competition categories include: Best in Show; Blue Ridge Parkway; People’s Choice; Culture; Adventure; Flora and Fauna; Landscape, and Our Ecological Footprint.  

The Best in Show wins a $1,000 cash prize and the Blue Ridge Parkway category will win a $500 cash award. A panel of professional photographers will review all entries and narrow them down to approximately 46 that will be displayed in exhibition at the Turchin Center. From those images, the judges will select the final winners.