Any Mainer can tell you that Acadia is the most eye-catching of all the national parks, but now it’s official.
A photo of a starry night over Acadia National Park’s rocky coastline has won the annual Share The Experience photo contest, meant to draw attention to the beauty of our nation’s national parks and public lands.
The photograph, taken by Manish Mamtani of Peabody, Massachusetts, was judged the grand prize winner among 16,000 entries, according to the National Park Foundation. An image of Fort Union National Monument came in second, while a photo of Coconino National Forest in Arizona came in third. As the contest winner, the photo of Acadia will appear on the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.
So no matter what park a pass holder visits, they’ll think of Acadia first.
Sen. Angus King announced the winning Acadia photo on his Twitter accountWednesday.
“Maine people always knew that Acadia was picture perfect – and now, it’s beauty will be shared with the whole country,” King wrote.
In a press release, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said that the photos help “tell the story” of the country’s public lands.
“It’s important that a love of these places is shared through amazing photos,” Zinke said in the release.
Mamtani, who gets $10,000 for his winning photo, is an award-winning nature photographer and accountant who is originally from Nagpur, India. According to his website, he first became passionate about photography while visiting Yosemite National Park in California.
Mamtani told the National Park Foundation he took the long-exposure shot near Boulder Beach in May of 2017. He said the sky was clear, with no moon. Mamtani is drawn to the dark night skies of national parks, according to the press release about the contest. He ranked Acadia as having one of the darkest, along with Death Valley in California and Nevada, Big Bend in Texas, and both Natural Bridges and Arches in Utah.
Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
rrouthier@pressherald.com
This photo won the Share The Experience photo contest, meant to draw attention to national parks, and was taken in Acadia National Park by Manish Mamtani. (Manish Mamtani photo, courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior)
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