A new local contest is encouraging budding young photojournalists to practice their skills by taking their best shots. In doing so, they could become the next big thing on the walls of the Musée Héritage Museum.
Take Your Best Shot is the name of what organizers are hoping will spur the youth to unexplored creative heights. In return, they’ve got the potential to become exhibiting artists with a little extra prize money to boot.
Joanne White, curator at the museum, said that it’s not just about giving the kids something to do. This is as historically relevant as anything else in her exhibits.
“We’ve been doing all of this 150th anniversary stuff and looking backward a great deal. We thought it might be fun to bring in the next generation and talk about present St. Albert and what it is that people like about the community now.”
For those reasons, the contest is not just about artistry but also about the overall snapshot of St. Albert in 2011. Entrants are asked to submit digital photographs of their favourite places in the city, whether they are homes, parks, streets, arenas, stores, heritage buildings, or even schools.
The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on Sept. 30 and winners will be notified by the end of October. The exhibit of winning photographs will be on display from Nov. 22 until Jan. 29, 2012.
There are three age groups for entrants: eight to 12, 13 to 15, and 16 to 18 years.
Just like any great assignment for school-aged children, entries will be judged on a variety of criteria. Here’s what the breakdown looks like for the final mark:
• 15% for choice of subject;
• 35% for creativity;
• 35% for quality of photo; and
• 15% for the written description of the location.
“I’m really interested to see what they come up with,” said White. “I’m hoping that we’ll get the obvious places – the park, the burger joint, that kind of thing – but I’m hoping that the kids will come up with some interesting things that we haven’t even thought of.”
Andrea Daly thinks that contests such as this help can children develop their artistic talents. An art teacher at Leo Nickerson Elementary, she’s always looking for ways to expand their horizons and is excited to think of the possibilities the kids will come up artistically.
“They just look at things from a different perspective. The world looks different from a child’s view than an adult’s view.”
A jury will choose 10 photos from each age group and those will comprise the exhibit. The top three will be considered the winners. Prizes will consist of gift cards to McBain Camera and will be awarded in the amounts of $200 for first place, $150 for second and $100 for third.
The Musée Héritage Museum is located in the east wing on the main floor of St. Albert Place, 5 St. Anne Street.
To learn more, call the museum at 780-459-1528 or visit the museum’s new website at www.museeheritage.com where entry forms can be downloaded.
