National Park Foundation and Olympus Announce 'Share The Experience' Photo Contest Winners

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Mar 22, 2010, 11:06 ET

More than 5,100 photos were submitted of America's national parks and federal recreation lands

WASHINGTON, March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Park Foundation and Olympus are proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Share the Experience photo contest. The annual contest encourages amateur shutterbugs to explore our nation's federal lands and share the experience by capturing and submitting their favorite pictures.

The grand prize winning photo was Xavier Cohen's "Sun rising over Maine's Acadia National Park."

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100322/DC74339)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090630/DC40408LOGO)

Mr. Cohen's photo will be featured on next year's Federal Recreation Lands Pass. He will also receive an all expenses paid five-day, four-night trip for four to the Federal Recreation Area of his choice*, an Olympus E-3 digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera and Zuiko ED 12-60mm f2.8/4.0 SWD lens, $1,000 in spending money, Ken Burns "National Parks: America's Best Idea" DVD and book, and a Federal Recreation Lands Pass.

More breathtaking winning and honorable mention photos are available here.

Share the Experience is the official photo contest of America's national parks and federal recreation lands. Sponsored by Olympus and the National Park Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, the Share the Experience Photo Contest showcases the more than 500 million acres of Federal Lands and draws entries from all across the United States. More than 5,100 amateur photographers submitted images to the annual contest, which ran from May 4, 2009 to December 31, 2009.

*See official contest rules for exceptions and additional prize information.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world's most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites -- all protected in America's nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us – This is Your Land.

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