--The contest will also go interactive with public voting for the Grand Prize Winner The Empire State Building (ESB) Observatory announces that its ninth annual photo contest will launch today, September 10, 2020. Amateur photographers from across the United States are asked to share their best shot of the iconic building for their chance at bragging rights and the Grand Prize. For the first time, the contest will be interactive for Empire State Building's followers and fans, as they vote for their favorite submissions via https://esbphotocontest.com. The Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and two FlyNYON flight tickets to capture additional aerial shots of the World's Most Famous Building. The second-place winner receives $1,500, and ESB will grant $500 to eight additional finalists. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1252247/Empire_State_Building___Photo_Contest_Winner_19.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1252248/ESB.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479871/Empire_State_Realty_Trust_Inc_Logo.jpg Finalists are selected from eight new categories: (1) General Entry, (2) Best Smart Phone Shot, (3) Best FlyNYON Shot, (4) Best Photoshop/Edit, (5) Best Weather Shot, (6) Best Quarantine Shot, (7) Best View Shot, and (8) Best Exhibit Shot. Fans can submit their chosen photo on www.esbphotocontest.com through November 5, 2020. "The Empire State Building proudly stands as the heartbeat of New York," said Jean-Yves Ghazi, President of the Observatory. "As a favorite subject of photographers from around the world, we are impressed by the submissions we receive every year. Our fans' talent is unparalleled, and we cannot wait to see the many ways they have celebrated the world-famous Empire State Building in the ninth year of the contest." The beauty of the classic Art Deco building rises above the hustle and bustle of New York City as it returns to business as usual. With the completion of its $165 million renovations in December 2019, the wonder of the indoor Observatory Experience now matches the outside, with recallable moments such as the 25-foot Building Model sitting atop the Grand Staircase, the 10,000 square foot second-floor museum, the world-famous 86th Floor Observatory, and the crown jewel, the 102nd Floor Observatory with its floor-to-ceiling windows and an unrivaled view. The contest closes on November 5, 2020. Entrants must be over the age of 18 and legal residents of the United States. A photo of last year's winner is available at this link ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2913902-1&h=3950174349&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dropbox.com%2Fsh%2F8n51l1enluu0vw5%2FAABo8_3ke7mQ7C993LR7TeHZa%3Fdl%3D0&a=link ). For official contest rules and additional information about the photo contest, visit www.esbphotocontest.com. About the Empire State Building Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna top), the Empire State Building, owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., is the "World's Most Famous Building." With new investments in energy efficiency, infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world. The Empire State Building was named the world's most popular travel destination in a study conducted by Uber and was named America's favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit www.empirestatebuilding.com, www.facebook.com/empirestatebuilding, https://twitter.com/empirestatebldg, www.instagram.com/empirestatebldg, http://weibo.com/empirestatebuilding, www.youtube.com/esbnyc, https://www.tiktok.com/@empirestatebldg, or www.pinterest.com/empirestatebldg. About Empire State Realty Trust Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the "World's Most Famous Building." Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of June 30, 2020 consisting of 9.4 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio. SOURCE: Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. CONTACT: Bianca Pappas, +1 212.736.3100, bpappas@empirestaterealtytrust.com; Jamie Steinberg, +1 212.736.3100, jsteinberg@empirestaterealtytrust.com