We are so proud to announce, along with partner the Olney Culture Lab, the award-winning photos from our third biennial photo contest, Capturing the TTF Watershed Wide. Participants could photograph nature in the entire 30 square mile TTF watershed, which consists of the Tookany, Tacony, and Frankford creeks as well as a number of tributaries.
What’s a watershed, you may ask? It’s an area of land that drains or “sheds” water into a specific waterbody. Watersheds drain rainfall into streams and rivers. These smaller bodies of water flow into larger ones, including lakes, bays, and oceans. The Tookany/Tacony Creek becomes the Frankford Creek, which flows into the Delaware River.
Professional and amateur photographers of all ages participated. A total of 2 adults, 3 youth, and 2 child winners were selected from multiple submissions from 33 adults, 10 youth, and 9 children! Each contestant was able to submit up to 5 photos. There were a total of 126 qualifying photos from adults, 43 from youth, and 45 photos from children.
This special project demonstrates that beauty can be found all across our watershed, in our many parks and green spaces, from Tacony Creek Park and the Frankford Creek Greenway to Cheltenham’s Tookany Creek Parkway and even backyards. Photographers celebrated the remarkable colors, scenes, and views that can be seen in any weather and any season. The photos submitted celebrate our creeks, friendly wildlife, and other aspects of nature’s beauty like plants and majestic trees. Our winners have created diverse, intriguing visuals that enable us all to experience the wonder of our watershed and honor our watershed community.
Here are the award-winning photos from the 2023 Capturing the TTF Watershed-Wide Photo Contest!
Adult Category:
- Robert King – “Monarch nectaring on butterfly bush” – Adult 1st Place, $250
- Pete Carter – “Eastern Tiger SwallowTail Bergamot” – Adult 2nd Place, $125
Youth Category:
- Charlie Sywulak-Herr – “Glittering Iris” – Youth 1st Place, $100
- Liceth Rodriguez – Untitled – Youth 2nd Place (tie), $50
- Yarieliza Rosa – Untitled #2 – Youth 2nd Place (tie), $50
Children Category:
- Emanuel Esteves – Untitled – Children 1st Place, $50
- Audrey Espinal – Untitled – Children 2nd Place, $25
Click on each photo to view it in full size:
You can also view the winning photos in our Flickr album.
Winners, community members, and friends are all invited to attend our third annual FREE Music and Arts Fall Festival on Saturday, October 7, 1-5pm at the big field in Tacony Creek Park! (Located on East Olney Avenue between Rising Sun Avenue and Tabor Road)
The winning photos will be on display at our photo gallery. During this annual event, you can connect with community members, learn about our creeks, and enjoy other family-friendly activities. Enjoy musical performances from DJ Gully Ranks, City Love, Will Ellsworth, Sumchai, Zaire Best, Precious & Zami Inez. Arts & crafts, nature games, bike rides, books and plants, giveaways, and donuts and cider will be provided to ring in the fall!
TTF’s 2023 Photo Contest was made possible by the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Philadelphia Water Department, and The Circuit Trails.
Don’t let the conversation about TTF’s watershed stop here, share your pictures using #TTFWatershed, #TaconyCreekPark, and #DiscoverTCP on social media!
Care about TTF’s 30 square mile watershed? Contact Doryan@ttfwatershed.org or 215-744-1853 to get involved.
