Deadline to submit is on May 28; 400 photos to be showcased this September at a free outdoor photo show
SAN FRANCISCO — The Partnership for the Presidio, in collaboration with non-profit Photoville, recently announced a call for entries to its My Park Moment photo contest, an opportunity for anyone to submit a photo of their favorite park experience anywhere in the world. From April 14 to May 28, amateur and professional photographers alike are invited to submit images that show personal experiences in local and national parks: from a family picnic, to a walk in the Presidio, to a visit to Alcatraz or a trip to Yosemite.
A selection committee of artists, educators, and non-profit leaders will choose 400 photos to display outdoors in a dynamic, large-format show in the Presidio of San Francisco, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is one of the most visited national parks in the country. The free show starts in September 2021 as a lead-up to the opening of the Presidio Tunnel Tops in Spring 2022. The show will take place at locations surrounding the future Presidio Tunnel Tops area, where visitors can see the progress on the new trails, overlooks, and play areas while enjoying the show.
“The Partnership for the Presidio holds the value that parks belong to all of us. Parks are a shared treasure that bring us together, no matter our background or point of view,” said Michael Boland, Chief Park Development and Visitor Engagement Officer for the Presidio Trust. “My Park Moment creates a place for people to share their park story and to celebrate the many moments to come at Presidio Tunnel Tops.”
The My Park Moment photo contest has several categories: Community Snapshot (Adult), Community Snapshot (Youth), and the Visual Story Award (Adult), which will award four photographers with a $2,500 cash prize for their multi-photo series. Read more about the opportunities and how to submit at PresidioTunnelTops.gov/my-park-moment.
Selection Committee members include: Jacqueline Bates, Photography Director of California Sunday Magazine and Pop-Up Magazine; Sergio De La Torre, Associate Professor at University of San Francisco; Isaac Haney-Owens, Artist at Creativity Explored; Ben Moon, Art Director, Instagram; Nicole Frugé, Director of Visuals, San Francisco Chronicle; Bruce Getty, Agency Owner and Photographer; Moanalani Jeffrey, Agency Owner and Photographer; Sean Uyehara of Headlands Center for the Arts; Jackie von Treskow of the San Francisco Arts Commission; and Monetta White, Executive Director, Museum of the African Diaspora. Youth panelists will also help review the youth submissions.
Visit PresidioTunnelTops.gov/my-park-moment to submit your images online. There is no entry fee.
A My Park Moment Submission Tool Kit is available for all who wish to help spread the word about this project to their communities and promote photo submissions.
The My Park Moment Photo Show and the Presidio Tunnel Tops initiative are projects brought to life by the Partnership for the Presidio, which aims to bring national park experiences, and the many benefits they offer, closer to where most people live – in urban areas. Two federal agencies manage the Presidio: the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service, with support from the non-profit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Together, the Partnership sustains the Presidio’s natural beauty, preserves its history, maintains its funding, and creates inspiring national park experiences for all.
United Photo Industries Inc (d.b.a Photoville) is a New York-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a wide, diverse audience for photographic narratives and nurture a new lens of representation, through the creation of unique and highly innovative environments, such as its free annual community photo festival. Working closely with visual artists, city agencies, nonprofit organizations and educators worldwide, Photoville creates new exhibition and public art opportunities that amplify impactful narratives and connect visual artists to a global audience by activating accessible public spaces via large-scale photography exhibitions. These include shows at Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Atlanta Beltline, Nathan Benderson Park (Sarasota, FL), Memorial Park (Houston, TX), Ueno Park in Tokyo (Japan), and Hyde Park in Sydney (Australia) in addition to an annual Festival, spanning over a dozen parks across New York City.
In 1993, Bay Area leaders, urban planners, and citizens were faced with the need to replace the seismically unsafe Doyle Drive, which cut the Presidio in two on its way to the Golden Gate Bridge. A vision to construct the highway into tunnels and reconnect the park by creating new land over their tops was put forth and the Presidio Tunnel Tops project was born. Hundreds of hours of community engagement with more than 10,000 participants helped shape the final design of the site. James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind New York’s High Line, was selected as the design partner. This exciting new project allows the Partnership for the Presidio to provide new national park experiences to people in the Bay Area, and serves as a gateway to the greater Golden Gate National Recreation Area and broader national park system. Presidio Tunnel Tops will feature scenic overlooks with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city, paths and gardens, a welcome plaza with food and visitor services, a campfire circle, picnic grounds and more, opening in spring of 2022. Visit www.PresidioTunnelTops.org for more information.
