Youth Photo Contest celebrates Michigan's heritage
Great Lakes, Great Traditions!
By Betsy Knox

Michigan youth aged 9 to 19 were asked recently to photograph their favorite Michigan historic sites to celebrate Michigan Week with a great new tradition — a youth photo contest. The contest was coordinated by Michigan 4-H and the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.

Wonderful photographs were submitted for the first ever Michigan Week Youth Photo Contest. Photos included the copper mines of the Upper Peninsula, the big red barns in southwest and central Michigan, downtown cityscapes of Flint and the final resting places of our ancestors.
Twelve photos were selected to be part of a touring exhibit; 16 were awarded honorable mentions as district winners. The winning photos can be viewed at the state of Michigan Web site, http://www.michigan.gov/hal.

“Historic site” was defined as any building (such as a house), a structure (such as a bridge), an area (such as a neighborhood, fairgrounds or business district) or an object (such as a monument) that is 50 years old or older.

Youth were encouraged to check out the “Michigan Historic Sites Online” database of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), http://www.michigan.gov/hal as they planned their photo expeditions.

Funding for the Michigan Week Youth Photo Contest came from donations to the Michigan 4-H Foundation and the Michigan Barn Preservation Network.

For more photography information, check out these 4-H publications: Adventures With Your Camera A — Member’s Manual for Ages 8 to 10 (4-H 1566) and Adventures With Your Camera B — Member’s manual for Ages 11 to 14 (4-H 1567). Both are available from your county MSU Extension office.

Betsy Knox is the state 4-H program leader for global and cultural education and arts programming.

Click here to read the state of Michigan press release and see the photos.