Photo Contest Deadline Approaches

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — The Portland metro region is chock-full of idyllic locales to capture in photographs, and near the top of the list of most serene places to see is Lake Oswego. That's why its annual photo contest saw more than 360 submissions last year, and it's why photo contest organizers hope for even more this time around.

City officials are now accepting submissions for the 10th annual City of Lake Oswego Photo Contest, which invites aspiring photographers to shoot and share photos of their favorite places, moments, and people in and around the community. The deadline to enter the contest is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7.

"Lake Oswego is a beautiful city with a multitude of fun events and gorgeous venues," Lake Oswego spokeswoman Bonnie Hirshberger told Patch in an email. "The photo contest is an opportunity for people to share what they love about the city — its places, people, pets, etc. The photo contest is great fun for the city as it is a way for us to interact with citizens; I’ve met some wonderful people who have participated. I love to hear their stories."

Both amateur and professional photographers are encouraged to participate by submitting up to 10 photos that apply to any of the seven categories being judged first by Lake Oswego city staff and a city councilor, then later by the Lake Oswego community itself.

Entrants can submit multiple photos into any category, but they will only have the opportunity to be selected as winners in no more than two of the categories.

Judges will first select three finalists from each category by mid-September before giving the community a chance to decide whether the finalists get the first, second, or third place prize.

Community judging will close on Oct. 15, with the final winning placements announced in early November.

The city also reserves the right not to award a prize for a specific category if a suitable photograph was not entered into the contest, city officials said.

"In 2017 we had about 75 participants and 360 photos, that was an increase from past years (numbers had been creeping up from about 55 participants, 250 photos)," Hirshberger said. "I always hope participation is high."

First, second, and third place winners from each category will be awarded gift cards valued at $100, $50, and $25, respectively. Additionally, each first place winner will see their photo published in the Lake Oswego e-newsletter, LO Down, and featured in a special section of the November edition of the Hello LO newsletter.

All winning entries will be published on the city's website and displayed at a special exhibit at City Hall throughout 2019.

Though contestants have all summer to take their photos, the contest will also accept photos taken within the past two years.

According to the contest's organizers, winning photographs will be chosen for their "technical quality, clarity and composition." But judges will also look for "the unexpected and the ability to capture a picture-perfect moment."

The seven categories available and their criteria, as described by the contest's organizers, are as follows:

Category One — Life in Lake Oswego

Photos should reflect what you do or see everyday — photo examples include special events or community celebrations, sports, parades, people taking a walk and having fun, children playing, street scenes, City crews at work, etc.

Category Two — Places in Lake Oswego

Photo examples include Lake Oswego’s neighborhoods, shopping districts, streets, parks, trails and green spaces, businesses, etc.

Category Three — Plants and Wildlife in Lake Oswego

Photos should reflect the close-up beauty of Lake Oswego — its environment and wildlife.

Category Four — Positive Aging in Lake Oswego

Photos should depict people 50 and older. It should feature great aspects of aging in Lake Oswego; for example, someone hiking one of our trails, having a picnic with family in the park, shopping at the Farmers’ Market, painting, fishing, etc. Photographers can be of any age.

Category Five — Pets in Lake Oswego

Photos should feature your pet enjoying life in Lake Oswego; for example playing at the dog park or city park, going for a walk along one of our pathways, enjoying the lake or river, etc.

Category Six — Youth (entrant/photographer must be under the age of 18)

Photos taken in Lake Oswego can reflect any subject matter the entrant would like to submit.

Category Seven — Digitally Altered Photographic Images

This category is designed for photographs that are more than just enhanced through digital fine-tuning. Alterations may include using an oil paint effect, or significant digital alteration of light and lines. Photographer should describe the digital enhancement or manipulation applied to the image.

Vintage/Historic photos (photos taken prior to 1970) can be submitted for consideration in any of the above categories. These photos may be submitted as a print instead of digital or can be scanned and submitted digitally.

For a pdf entry form and a list of rules and guidelines, click here.

To submit entries online, which is a new option this year, click here.

For more information, and to view winning submissions from the past nine years, click here or contact Hirshberger at 503-675-3992.

This post was updated from its original version to include comments from Bonnie Hirshberger.

Top image via City of Lake Oswego: In 2017, Shelley Markstaller took first place in the Life in Lake Oswego category for her photo "Dog Gone Surfing."