I’m beyond excited to share some truly special news with you.

Earlier this year, I was selected as a finalist in the 2026 Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition—an honor in itself among so many incredibly talented artists. But what made this experience even more meaningful is that last week I was also chosen as the People’s Choice Award winner.

This award is especially close to my heart because it comes directly from the viewers of the show. Attendees had the opportunity to vote for their favorite image, and knowing that my work resonated with so many people fills me with gratitude and joy.

The piece that received this recognition is titled Blue Ridge Botanica. This image is deeply personal to me—it was inspired by my love for the natural beauty that surrounds my home here in Western North Carolina. It features a collection of treasures foraged right from my own property, a reflection of the quiet magic and abundance that exists in our everyday landscapes if we take the time to notice.

Creating this piece felt like a celebration of place, presence, and connection to the land—and I’m so honored that it connected with others in such a meaningful way.

If you’d like to bring a piece of this work into your own space, Blue Ridge Botanica is available for purchase through my art print gallery. You can view and shop the piece here: BLUE RIDGE BOTANICA.

Thank you so much for supporting my work, for voting, and for continuing to follow along on this creative journey. It truly means the world to me.

With so much gratitude,

Katie 

23rd Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition

February 6, 2026 – May 2, 2026

Bickers Gallery - Turchin Center, Boone

DOWNLOAD EXHIBITION GUIDE

“I Know Why the Mockingbird Sings”

This year’s exhibition is juried by Ty Murray, artivist and Director of Art & Communications at The Bottom, a nonprofit cultural organization in Knoxville, TN, who chose, “I Know Why the Mockingbird Sings” as this year’s exhibition theme. Murray says: 

“Joy is at the heart of my creative practice. My gears were turning for a theme that could convey the freedom that joy embodies, like the feeling of an uncaged bird taking flight… A title with a twist on Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) came shortly after.”  

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

In Appalachia, where memories move through mountains and stories echo through hollers, joy speaks volumes. It can be an act of devotion, a gesture of defiance, a quiet promise we make to ourselves. For this call photographers were asked to lean into moments that heal, harmonize, uplift, and unburden. They were asked to let their lenses sing and what arrived was a chorus. 

Whether carved in solitude, shaped by community, inspired by nature, or nurtured through craft, joy takes root. I saw it rolling like clouds across a mountain ridge, shimmering in cool creek water, and glowing in the fiery colors of fall. It appeared in foraged treasures collected tenderly by hand, in the breathtaking stillness of hills, in the magic of season shifts, and the sweetness of a butterfly drifting towards nectar.

Joy shows up in people, too. It’s there in a warm embrace, in a familiar face, in queer Appalachian togetherness, and in the simple freedom of a hand waving through the wind. As a native Tennessean, I know these mountains as both mirror and prism. They hold space for us, just as we hold space for each other. 

It has been an honor to witness such cherished moments. May this collection remind us that joy, in all its forms, continues to hum a tune in Appalachia. I Know Why The Mockingbird Sings…to remind us that little moments can hold big feelings, and that joy often reveals itself to anyone who will listen.

• Ty Murray, Juror