Scenic Pittsburgh

We are very proud to announce the winners in the Scenic SWPA 2023 Photo Contest!

First, we would like to thank our esteemed judges, Brad Berkstresser, Carolyn Doyle, Angelo Mamone and Nicolette Tolomeo Germain. We are so indebted to them for volunteering their time and talents to this contest. Find out more about them and view their work here.

We awarded one Grand Prize, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each of 6 categories, including one Fan Favorites winner, chosen by public vote. Their names are below – continue to scroll to see all the winning and placing photos.

Grand Prize winner: Briana Pontius, for “Sunset Dance Leckwart Farm.” Scroll all the way down to see our Fan Favorites winner, Jacob H. Ford, for “Mingo Creek in Autumn.”

• Scenic Urbanscapes and Townscapes
  • 1st Place: Christine Montgomery,  “Storms Over Pittsburgh”
  • 2nd Place: Jacob Ford, “Vibrant October Sunrise over The Steel City, Pittsburgh, PA”
  • 3rd Place (3-way tie): Bill Kardos, Twin Lightning Strikes Lighting up the City” AND “August Full Moon Rising Over Pittsburgh” and Erin Isoda, “Cherry Blossoms on the North Shore”
• Scenic Landscapes and Farmscapes
  • 1st Place: Jacob Ford, “Autumn Sunrise over the ‘Burgh”
  • 2nd Place: Karen Sturgeon, “A Sunflower Farm Sunset, Schwiran Sunflower Festival, Monongahela, PA”
  • 3rd Place (2-way tie): Karen Sturgeon, “Summer Lightning Storm, Lawrence County, Plain Grove Road” and Bill Kardos, Wildflower field at sunset in North Park, McCandless.”
• Historic Sites and Buildings
  • 1st Place: Karen Sturgeon, “Milky Way over North Park Observation Tower”
  • 2nd Place: Erin Isoda, “Blood Moon”
  • 3rd Place: Erin Isoda, “Autumn at Riverview Park Observatory”
• Scenic Rivers & Waterways
  • 1st Place: Ambush Creative, “Yough River at Ohiopyle”
  • 2nd Place: Allen Howard, “Colorful Park Afternoons Panther Hollow Lake”
  • 3rd Place: Carolyn L. Anderson, “Keystone State Park”
• Scenic Trees and Forests
  • 1st Place: Michael Hills, “Frick Entrance – Frick Park”
  • 2nd Place: Kathryn Stover, “Early Morning Foggy Sunrise, Clinton Twp, Butler County”
  • 3rd Place: Bill Goff, “Golden Morning, Salamander Park”
• People in Scenic Places
  • 1st Place: Ambush Creative, “Kayaker going over Ohiopyle falls”
  • 2nd Place: mrmfm30, “Sunset at North Park”
  • 3rd Place: Carolyn Anderson, “Keystone State Park”
• Fan Favorites Winner: Jacob H. Ford, “Mingo Creek in Autumn”

Please join us in congratulating all these winners!