Upper Delaware Scenic Byway Launches 2026 Photo Contest to Inspire Exploration

The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway is launching its first photo contest, inviting residents and visitors to capture scenes along the historic roadway as part of a seven-month effort to encourage exploration of the region.

The 2026 contest, titled “Every Mile Tells a Story,” runs from April 1 through Nov. 1 and is free to enter. Participants are invited to submit photographs taken along New York State Route 97, which forms the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway.

Entrants may submit up to three photographs each using an online form available at the byway’s website. A map outlining the byway’s three geographic sections and the official contest rules are also available online.

Winning entries will receive cash prizes and gift certificates to businesses located along the byway. Organizers say the prizes are intended in part to support local small businesses throughout the corridor.

Selected photos will also be featured in a printed exhibition planned for 2027, highlighting scenic landscapes, recreational activities and everyday moments captured along the route.

The state-designated scenic byway follows Route 97 through parts of Delaware, Sullivan and Orange counties. The route runs from the Village of Hancock south through the towns of Delaware, Cochecton, Tusten, Highland, Lumberland and Deerpark before ending in the City of Port Jervis, connecting Interstate 86/New York Route 17 with Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 6. Much of the roadway parallels the federally designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.