Locals awarded for their photographs of Essex parks

Photo Courtesy of Essex County
From left are Environmental Center Director Tara Casella, Leonardo McCormick, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Massimo McCormick, Parks Director Dan Salvante and staff naturalist David Alexander. Leonardo McCormick won a second-place award and Massimo McCormick received an honorable mention in the annual Essex County Parks Photography Contest.

ROSELAND, NJ — Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. presented awards to the eight winners in the annual Essex County Parks Photography Contest. Winners were awarded in adult and youth categories and were recognized on Saturday, Sept. 28, during the Fall Family Festival at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland.

“We congratulate the winners of the Essex County Parks Photography Contest and thank all the contestants for sharing what they experienced in our historic parks system,” DiVincenzo said. “Events like these encourage our residents to visit our open spaces and share their artistic talents. All these photographs capture the beauty, highlight the diversity and natural splendor of our parks, reservations and recreation facilities.”

Award winners in the adult category are as follows: Janet Markman, from West Caldwell, received first place for “Hilltop Reservation – Ruby Throated Hummingbird”; Olivia Sharp, from Passaic, received second place for “Cherry Blossoms at Branch Brook Park”; Daniel Seugling, from Caldwell, received third place for “Mountain Lion at Turtle Back Zoo”; and John Shiever, from Cedar Grove, received an honorable mention for “Verona Park Lake.”

Award winners in the youth category are as follows: Emma Hogan, from Verona, received first place for “Verona Park Lake”; Leonardo McCormick, from West Orange, received second place for “Bee in the 4-H Garden at the Essex County Environmental Center”; George Janulis, from West Caldwell, received third place for “Oak Tree in South Mountain Reservation”; and Massimo McCormick, from West Orange, received an honorable mention for “Monarch Butterfly at the Essex County Environmental Center.”

The contest was sponsored by the Essex County Environmental Center and judged by members of the Essex County Photo Club. Anyone with a camera was encouraged to participate. Entries were judged on creativity, technical superiority, composition and the photograph’s depiction of the uniqueness of the Essex County Parks System.