Every year, the Village of Palmetto Bay holds a student photography contest for its youth residents. Students from elementary school to college are encouraged to participate, so long as they are currently registered in a Palmetto Bay public or private school. The submissions for the contest began on Sept. 9, and the last day to submit photos was Oct. 13. There are currently 75 submissions into the contest, from every allowed age group.
This year’s “Adventure” themed contest is the sixth annual. However, there are no other guidelines, and students can use that idea however they see fit.
“I feel like the photo contest is a way to voice what students love about Palmetto Bay,” Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham said. “Maybe we’ll see photos of kayaking, paddle boarding and children on the playground, that sort of thing.”
The winners of this year’s contest will be announced at the annual Light Up Your Holidays in December. The prizes are being distributed by Pitman Photo Supply, with the first-place winner receiving a $500 gift certificate, second place receiving a $250 gift certificate and third place receiving a $100 certificate.
“I’m sure the prize itself probably plays some role,” Cunningham said. “But as you and I both know, folks use their phones all the time for taking photos, so I think there’s just a love of good photos, and the prize is kind of like the icing on the cake.”
Last year’s contest theme was “Environment,” and all three winning pictures came from Westminster Christian School. They all had varying images of animals, trees and other aspects of nature, which captured the true essence of the theme.
However, this contest connects to a larger scheme, one that is focused on bringing art from real artists onto the streets of Palmetto Bay.
The Art in Public Places program, or AIPP, requires all people building public property to get in touch with the AIPP fund. This means those people have to get approved artwork to contribute to the building, for the benefit of the town. The AIPP program is not just limited to new buildings; many established businesses have decided not to contribute to the fund, and have instead chosen to display approved art in their offices and buildings. Some of these places include Miami International Airport, Zoo Miami and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, as well as many other parks, libraries and public housing developments.
“There’s a formula for the amount they have to give, so they’ll give a certain amount of money, and then we choose where we want to have artwork,” Cunningham said. “It’s connected with something bigger in the village, which is the sharing of artwork and making it public property for everyone to enjoy.”
On top of that, AIPP works to bring art to the streets and roads of Palmetto Bay. Inside the traffic circle on 168th St. and 82nd Ave., the “Flower Force” sculpture was created as a part of a community awareness effort to battle environmental changes.
Although the Student Photography Contest serves a younger audience of participants, it ultimately serves a higher purpose. It allows the formation of the next generation of artists, architects and designers to truly take a moment to look around the city where they live and decide what they deem important or needs changing. Overall, it serves as a way for young citizens who are interested in art and photography to make a meaningful contribution to the place that they are growing up, and help make it somewhere that they truly enjoy living.
