Photographers should get to work now to come up with their best mountain images for the eighth annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition.

The photo contest celebrates the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians. The contest has six categories: Adventure; Culture; Ecological Footprint; Flora and Fauna; Landscape, and Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas.

This year’s special “Share the Journey” category is Trees of the Parkway, which will be archived by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

Photographers are encouraged to capture images of trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway that stand out as the most beautiful, the oldest or largest, trees that tell a story or have a place in history, and those that are unique for their shape, species, or character. Make sure to include the tree species, its location (such as GPS coordinates or Parkway Milepost), and a paragraph about why the photographed tree is of particular significance.

The contest is put on by Appalachian State University and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and offers $4,000 in cash and prizes .

To submit photos, go to www.appmtnphotocomp.org.