Pelham Bay Park: Past, Present, and Future
A new photo contest for 2024
In the footsteps of our Picture the Park!, Picture the Beach!, and The Great Outdoors photo contests: Pelham Bay Park: Past, Present, and Future begins January 7, 2024.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook for voting.
Categories
Seasons
Submission Period: January 7 - 13
Voting Period: January 28 - February 3
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, Pelham Bay Park is always beautiful. Show us the seasonal faces of New York City’s largest park!
Wildlife
Submission Period: January 21 - 27
Voting Period: February 11 - 17
Pelham Bay Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife! Turkey vultures, coyotes, seals, birds, and owls are just a few that spend time in our park. Don’t get too close, don’t feed them, but do submit your favorite images of the animals that call Pelham Bay Park home.
Secret Treasures
Submission Period: February 4 - 10
Voting Period: February 18 -24
Pelham Bay Park is filled with amazing treasures – miles of trails, habitats, some of the borough’s oldest trees, a landmarked pavilion, and a historic house. Submit your photo of a favorite spot in Pelham Bay Park that others might not have discovered.
People in the Park
Submission Period: February 25 – March 2
Voting Period: March 10 - 16
Millions of people visit Pelham Bay Park every year hiking our trails, swimming at the beach, kayaking in the lagoon, swinging a golf club, or horseback riding on the bridle path. For this category, we’re looking for a focus on the people who explore our Park.
Hidden History
Submission Period: March 3 - 9
Voting Period: March 17 - March 23
From Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum to the Split Rock, Pelham Bay Park is rich in history—home of the Lenape and the location of the Battle of Pell’s Point, as well as the Bronx’s only public beach and the Victory War Memorial. Trace the history of the Bronx in Pelham Bay Park.
If you choose to include recognizable people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted and must be able to provide copies of those releases to The Friends upon request. Entrants must not submit images that involve human nudity, the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by the photographer; place any individual or animal in danger; or infringe on the rights of any other photographer or person.
1 submission per person per category.
Rules, Terms, and Conditions (PDF)
How does voting work?
Once a category closes for submissions, our volunteer contest coordinators send our three judges the submitted photos with the photographer’s name and information removed (blind judging). Our judges pick their top 5 images to move on to Facebook Voting.
The photos are uploaded to the Friends of Pelham Bay Park Facebook page (with the photographer’s name). The photo in each category with the most “likes” at the end of the voting period is the winner of the category.
Once those winners have been determined, our panel of judges will choose an overall Grand Prize winner, to be announced at our Spring Fundraiser on April 10.
Our Judges
Barbara Burn Dolensek
Barbara Burn Dolensek has lived on City Island since 1976 and has been active in the City Island community for many years. She has been on the staff of The Island Current since 1985, on the executive committee of the City Island Civic Association since 1992, an officer of the City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum since 1995, and an officer of City Island Oyster Reef since its inception in 2019. She is also a member of the Garden Club of City Island and the Friends of Pelham Bay Park.
Nilka Martell
Nilka Martell is President of the Friends of Pelham Bay Park. She also serves as co-chair of the Bronx River Alliance's executive board; co-chair of the Bronx Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces, board member of Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, Huntington Free Library, East Bronx History Forum and Windows of Hip Hop. She is also the founder of Loving The Bronx. Born and raised in the Bronx, Martell is dedicated to the betterment of The Bronx. Nilka is a photographer who has been published in the Bronx Free Press and the overall winner of our 2015 Picture the Park Photo Contest.
Photo credit: Coery Torpie
Anthony Ramirez II
Anthony Ramirez II is a Bronx-based entrepreneur and co-founder of Mainland Media, From The Bronx, & The Bronx Beer Hall. All of his work is driven by a mission to improve the image of The Bronx and to share our borough's rich culture and history with the world!
Anthony has collaborated with some of The Bronx’s leading creatives to bring original Bronx-themed merchandise to market, host community-focused events, and promote both local businesses and socially responsible initiatives. Most recently, Anthony has been featured on New York Live TV, NBC New York, News 12BX, YES Network, 947 The Block, Esquire Espanol (to name a few) and is the proud recipient of the New York State Empire Senate Award 2023 and Comité Noviembre’s "Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad" 2023 Award.
FROM THE BRONX TO THE WORLD!!