“Beauty and Adventures in the DWGNRA"

The contest was held in partnership with the Pocono Photo club. Judges for 2026 were Kevin Furst (Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau) and Ann LeFevre (Pocono Photo Club) - huge thank you to our judges!!! It's a tough job! The Winners in each of the 4 categories are: 

• Landscapes and Waterfalls:  Dawn J Benko - Van Campen Falls
• Wildlife: Stephen Warshaw - Eastern Bluebird on Milford Beach
• Recreation in the Park: Harrise Niemczak - Minisink Hills Park on Brodhead Creek
• ​Historical Structures and Miscellaneous:  Kren Phillips - Mcdade Trail in Milford

Honorable Mentions were also chosen to be in the calendar to fill out the 12 months and cover.  They are allow shown below.  Thank you for all of us at the Friends for the excellent photographers entered this year!! 

The annual contest takes submissions that feature the wildlife, beautiful scenery, historical structures, and fun activities one can find in the Park. They can be taken on either side of the Delaware River and there is no dating limit on when the photos were taken, but they must be taken by upon visiting the DWGNRA. 

The calendar pictures are shown in order below (verticals are cropped for website, but not for the calendar): 

Cover - Harrise Niemczak -  Bushkill Access boat launch

Jan  - Dawn J Benko - Van Campen Falls

Feb - Stephen Warshaw - Eastern Bluebird on Milford Beach

Mar -  Charles Mcquaid - The gang's all here

Apr - Harrise Niemczak - Minisink Hills Park on Brodhead Creek

May -  Dr Paul Kovalski - Pink Lady's Slipper Old Mine Road, NJ

Jun - Maryann Marane - Smithfield Beach

Jul - Regina Matarazzo - Marie Zimmerman House

Aug - Joseph A. Li Marzi-Cliff Trail

Sep -  Ann LeFevre - Black Rat Snake at Crater Lake

Oct - Kren Phillips - PEEC Pond

Nov -  Eric Goins - Doors at Millbrook

​Dec -   Kren Phillips - Mcdade Trail in Milford