A free photography workshop at the New Salem Public Library will kick off a month-long regional photo contest, Quabbin Days Photo Contest.
Residents of Athol, Belchertown, New Salem and Pelham are invited to grab their cameras or smartphones and capture what makes the Quabbin Region so special as part of this month-long photography event being held in conjunction with Quabbin Days.
The contest is being conducted in partnership with four libraries – the Athol Public Library, Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown, New Salem Public Library, and Pelham Library, and is open to residents of those communities.
Photos entered in the contest must be taken during the month of October 2026 and may be taken in any of the 12 towns that make up the Quabbin Region. The deadline for submitting photographs is midnight on Oct. 31.
The photo contest is intended to encourage residents to get out and explore the region while documenting the landscapes, wildlife, communities, history, people and details that help tell the story of the Quabbin and October provides a particularly fitting backdrop for the contest.
Fall foliage, changing light, wildlife and activity throughout the region’s forests, farms, waterways, villages and historic areas provide photographers with a range of subjects. Participants are encouraged not only to photograph familiar locations, but to use the contest as an opportunity to discover parts of the Quabbin Region they may not have previously explored.
The contest is part of Quabbin Days 2026, which will be held Oct. 9–12, organized by Friends of Quabbin.
Each of the four participating libraries is administering the contest for its community. Contest rules and submission information vary by participating library and there are links to the Athol, Belchertown, New Salem and Pelham contests, along with the rules and submission information for each community, on the Quabbin Days Photo Contest webpage at www.quabbindays.org/PhotoContest.
To kick off the month of photography, a free photography workshop led by Belchertown nature photographer Ed Comeau will be held Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the New Salem Public Library, 23 South Main St., New Salem. The workshop is open to anyone who would like to attend, regardless of where they live or whether they plan to enter the photo contest.
The workshop will offer participants ideas and practical advice for creating stronger photographs as they head out to explore the Quabbin Region during October. No specialized camera equipment is necessary to participate in the workshop or to explore photography during Quabbin Days. More information can be found at the New Salem Library website www.NewSalem.cwmars.org.
Additional information about Quabbin Days, including the calendar of events and activities taking place throughout the region, is available at www.QuabbinDays.org. For complete contest information and links to the rules for each participating community, visit www.QuabbinDays.org/PhotoContest.