Sep 26, 2023
Winning images to be featured in 2024 calendar.
WATERFORD, NY – The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is pleased to announce the winners of its 18th Annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Judges selected first, second, and third place winners in four contest categories as well as 12 honorable mentions from a field of 314 entries.
“As we approach the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal in 2025, these images reveal to us what makes New York’s canals worth preserving, visiting, and celebrating. We congratulate the winners and appreciate everyone who entered and shared the places and activities they love along New York’s extraordinary canals,” said Bob Radliff, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
From colorful sunrises to fog to brilliant reflections, winning images highlight various seasons, moods, and activities along the canals.
New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton said, “I send my heartfelt congratulations to the winners of this year’s annual photo contest, and my thanks to all of the exceptional photographers, amateur and professional alike, who participated. This year’s photos help us showcase the remarkable sights and recreational resources along the canal system. As celebrate the bicentennial of the Champlain Canal and prepare for the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal’s completion, they are a wonderful reminder of the Erie Canal’s legacy, impact, and presence in New York, both today and through generations of our history.”
Winning images can be viewed online and will be featured in the 2024 Erie Canalway calendar. The popular calendar will be available for free at libraries, visitor centers, and by request beginning in December.
Winning photos may be viewed at www.eriecanalway.org/gallery/
2023 Erie Canalway Photo Contest Winners
Canal Communities
1st Place, Harbor Reflections (Seneca Falls) by Frank Forte, Little Falls, NY
2nd Place, Tranquil Twilight (Fairport) by Jonathan Spurr, Fairport, NY
3rd Place, Ice Skating at Canalside (Buffalo) by Claire Talbot, Hilton, NY
Classic Canal
1st Place, Fall in Fairport (Fairport) by Karen Millspaugh, Bergen, NY
2nd Place, Basin Bridge (Bushnell’s Basin) by Sarah Woodams, Pittsford, NY
3rd Place, Trinity Church (Seneca Falls) by Claire Talbot, Hilton, NY
Along the Trail
1st Place, Erie Canal Fog (Pittsford) by Tom Kredo, Rochester, NY
2nd Place, Sunrise Along the Trail (Pittsford) by Dan Judd, Rochester, NY
3rd Place, Two Bridges (Fort Hunter) by Stefanie Obkirchner, Amsterdam, NY
On the Water
1st Place, Sunrise Kayak Paddle (Macedon) by Dan Judd, Rochester, NY
2nd Place, Great Blue Heron in Flight (Northumberland) by Susan Meyer, Schuylerville, NY
3rd Place, Paddling at Schoharie Crossing (Fort Hunter) by Frank Forte, Little Falls, NY
Honorable Mention Recipients (listed west to east)
A Golden USS The Sullivans (Buffalo) by Beverly Goldschmidt, Lewiston, NY
Mother and Daughter at Dusk (Greece) by Shaun Lewis, Rochester, NY
Green Heron on Old Submerged Barge (Pittsford) by Mark Janetos, Rochester, NY
Lift Bridge and Kennelley Park (Fairport) by Keith Boas, Fairport, NY
Buttermilk Falls State Park (Ithaca) by Mike Miroiu, Cortland, NY
Winter Clouds at the Erie Canal (Camillus) by Marcia Bower, Syracuse, NY
Sunset over the Old Erie (Fayetteville) by Adam Fine, Liverpool, NY
Hamilton College Crew (Rome) by Kevin Hoehn, Rome, NY
Mohawk River and Erie Canal (Little Falls) by Cliff Oram, Ilion, NY
Fireworks over the Flood Gates (Little Falls) by Dave Warner, Little Falls, NY
Lock E-2 (Waterford) by Dave Koschnick, Cohoes, NY
Sunrise over Northumberland Bridge (Northumberland) by Susan Meyer, Schuylerville, NY
ABOUT THE ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
The U.S. Congress recognized the national significance of the Erie Canal to the growth and development of the Nation by designating the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000. The Corridor spans more than 500 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York and includes the present-day Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments. It is home to more than three million New Yorkers and host to millions of visitors each year. The National Heritage Corridor, in partnership with the National Park Service, collaborates with a variety of federal, state, and local partners to preserve New York’s extraordinary canal heritage, to promote the Corridor as a world class tourism destination, and to foster vibrant communities connected by the waterway. www.eriecanalway.org