Kaiser Willys Jeep 2026 Photo Contest is now Open!

Above, yours truly with my 1952 Willys Jeep M38A1. Photo by Nandoh Munoz.

An email has popped into my mailbox from Kaiser Willys Jeep, one of my sources for Jeep parts.

Their 2026 Photo Contest is now open to vintage Jeeps generally from 1941 to 1971 (check their website for rules). I submitted my photos several minutes ago.

The email said:

The 2026 Photo Contest is now Open!

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Submit Your Photo for a Chance to Win Big!

If your photo is selected, you could win one of these amazing prizes:

🏆 Grand Prize - Featured on the front cover of the 2027 Kaiser Willys Catalog, $1000 gift certificate.

🥈 2nd Place Prize - Featured on the back cover of the 2027 Catalog, $500 gift certificate

📅 Calendar Winners - Featured in a month or on the front/back cover of the 2027 Kaiser Willys Calendar, $100 gift certificate

Generally, all participants have one photo posted in next year's catalog.

To access the photo contest, go here.

National Forest Week Photo Contest

Above, in Six Mile Canyon of the Cibola National Forest. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It just so happens that this week is National Forest Week.

I received an email from the National Forest Foundation this morning which stated:

Dear Armand,

Happy National Forest Week™! With your help we’ve been able to showcase the incredible landscapes of our National Forests. With more than 150 National Forests and Grasslands across the country, we wouldn’t be able to share all of the special places without you. We are excited to once again host our annual National Forest Week photo contest to highlight our incredible public lands.

They have three categories. They are Landscape, Recreation and Youth Photographers. I submitted the above photo for the Recreation category. The photograph has to have been taken in a national forest.

For more information on the National Forest Week photo contest, go here.

Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest Returning

Above, a photo of Ernest Hemingway on display at the Ernest
Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Do you look like Ernest Hemingway? If so, you might be interested in this year's Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest to be held in July at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Florida. Hemingway was once a resident of Key West and his former home and office is open for tours.

Above Sloppy Joe's Bar, where the contest will take place. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to the Miami Herald:

The Papas will return to the Florida Keys this year.

A crowd resembling author Ernest Hemingway, most likely sporting white beards and berets, will return to Key West this summer as the island continues to roll out a list of festivals that were scratched in 2020 due to COVID-19.

The 40th Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, which is part of the Hemingway Days festival, is back on July 22-24 at Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Duval Street, where it all began.

The 2020 edition, an annual event that celebrates the author who called the island home in the 1930s and whose house is now a museum, was canceled last year because of the pandemic. This year’s competition has a limited number of spots for contestants to maintain COVID health protocols.

To read more, go here. 

Win A Trip For Two To Japan!

Here's a chance to win a trip to Japan for two!

The Japan National Tourism Organizaton (JNTO) announced:

Win a trip for two to Japan!

Vote on your favorite recipe created by Chef Dale Talde to win a trip for two to Japan!

Recipes were created using Wagyu beef, Katsuobushi (Bonito), and Matcha. Watch the recipe videos and vote for your favorite! Campaign Period: Nov. 1, 2017 ~ Feb. 28, 2018

Monument Valley Photo Wins A New York Holiday

Above, Totem Pole (left) and other rock formations in Monument Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A detour to Monument Valley has landed a student a photography prize for his "stunning" photograph.

According to the Daily Echo:

A SOUTHAMPTON student "stunning" photograph has been landed him a prestigious international gong. 

Joshua Masters’ picture of Monument Valley in Navajo County, Arizona, was picked by judges from global travel agency Smaller Earth’s 2017 international photo contest as the best in their 2017 competition. 

As part of the prize, the 20-year-old Southampton Solent student won a trip to New York and will be taking his mum Christmas shopping in the Big Apple.

To read more and to see the photograph, go here. 

Win A Dream Trip To Kyoto!

Above, Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji "Golden Pavilion". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Condé Nast Traveler has announced a contest in which the prize is a "Dream Trip To Japan".

They wrote:

Experience one of the world's most beautiful cities on a luxe getaway for 2 to The Four Seasons Kyoto 

Prize includes a 3-night stay at The Four Seasons Kyoto + roundtrip airfare for 2

To enter, go here.