Calendar Photo Submission

The ATC calendar, first published in 1987 (for 1988), features a mix of photographers and subjects but has always had a dual purpose: To show the visual allure of the Trail to hiking and non-hiking individuals alike, throughout the country, and to brag a bit in the captions on the volunteers who maintain the footpath and the partners who manage the land.

Submission Details

Format & Quality Requirements

Each photographer is limited to 36 submissions, and all scenes will be cropped to a square. Neither prints nor date-stamped digital images can be accepted.

Digital images at least 13 inches on the shorter dimension should be submitted on a DVD, other storage device, or via the online form below in TIFF or EPS formats, at a resolution of not less than 300dpi at that size. E-mail submissions will not be accepted. Low-resolution JPEGs will not be given high priority.

Convert all HEIC Photos

Many newer smartphones (especially iPhones) save images in HEIC format, which is not compatible with our submission system. To ensure your photo can be considered, please convert HEIC files to JPEG format before submitting. Converting is simple”

• On iPhone/iPad: Open the photo, tap the share icon, and save or export it as a JPEG (or adjust your camera settings to “Most Compatible” for future photos).
• On Mac or Windows: Open the image and use “Save As” or “Export” to select JPEG as the file format.
• Online tools: You can also use free HEIC-to-JPEG converters available online.

Photo Content Criteria

The scene should show the footpath, a view from the footpath, or, if taken from a distance, a recognizable landmark in the Trail corridor. Scenes on side trails other than shelters will not be considered. Visible blazes are a major bonus; so is sunshine. Candid shots of hikers near blazes are a double bonus (posed shots cannot be considered). Gorgeous close-ups of flowers and insects that do not say “A.T.!” will be admired but not selected.

Images from mid-Atlantic states are particularly desired; attempts to achieve a regional balance often fall short because those states seldom are included in a year’s submissions. (Southern springs and New England autumns are way overrepresented, on the other hand.)

Required Information

Each submission must include:

• Location of the shot (as specific as possible)
• The month it was taken
• Names of any identifiable persons in the foreground

You must also include the photographer’s name, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

File names of digital images must include the photographer’s last name and the scene’s location or an identifying number that correlates to the submissions list. Submissions with inadequate IDs cannot be considered.

Compensation & Use

After the calendar is published by Rizzoli International in the summer of 2027, photographers will be paid $200 for each of the 12 selected monthly images ($50 more for the cover shot).

Note: Often photographs submitted but not selected for a calendar are purchased for another ATC use.

The 2026 calendar, co-published with Rizzoli International, is still on sale at the ATC Trail Store.