Enter the 2023 Amateur Photography Contest for All Ages

Entries Due July 6 - 8
Awards Ceremony Mon., July 17 | 7 PM
Photos on display July 15 - 21

2023 Rules

Submitting your entry

Where: At the library’s Adult/Teen or Children’s Information Desks 

When: Thurs., July 6 – Sat., July 8 during open library hours. No late entries will be accepted. 

Maximum number of entries: 2 photos per person. They can be in the same or different photo categories.

Age groups:

  • Adult (18+)
  • Teen (12 - 17)
  • Kids (7 - 11)
  • Lil’ Snapper (1 - 6), a non-judged open division, an opportunity for budding young photographers to showcase their first photos

Photo categories: 

  • People
  • Animals
  • Nature/Landscapes (includes buildings)

Entry format: Photos must be 5x7” prints and matted in an 8x10” matte board only (available at hobby stores). Use a separate entry form for each photo and tape the completed form to the back of the matte board. A sample matted photo is available at the Adult/Teen and Children’s Information Desks. Entry forms will be available at the information desks, or click below to download and print.

Judging and Prizes

Judges may recategorize photos if necessary. Each photo will be judged for impact, composition, and quality of lighting. The judges are local professional photographers and instructors Gary Harwood and Jim Roetzel.

Three winners per category, per age group, will be recognized. One Best in Show winner for each age group will win a cash prize. Prizes are compliments of the Friends of the Library:

  • Adult Best in Show: $50
  • Teen Best in Show: $40
  • Kids Best in Show: $30

Judges’ awards will be announced: Mon., July 17 at 7 PM at our Awards Ceremony, which all participants and their families are invited to attend. 

Photos will be on display in the library: July 15 - July 21. Visitors will be able to vote for their favorite photos for the SMFPL People’s Choice Award, the Stephen Pierce Memorial Award for teens, and the Spike the Turtle Kids’ Choice Award. 

Winning photographers will be contacted about submitting a digital copy of their photo for display in the library’s online Flickr albums. Photographs remain property of the entrant.

Photos may be picked up: At the Adult Information Desk, along with any prizes won, beginning July 24. Any photos not picked up by August 11, 2023 will be discarded. 

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. 


Source URL: https://www.smfpl.org/photography