Teens are once again invited to showcase their photography skills.
The Lambton County Library is hosting its fourth annual Teen Photo Contest, and the 2025 theme is Stories in Focus.
Teens are invited to tell compelling stories with their photos, through three sub-categories; drama, fantasy and comedy.
Youth Programs and Outreach Public Services Coordinator Vanitia Campbell said different aspects of storytelling will be looked at.
"If teens look at the different element of the story there are certainly characters and problems, resolutions, things like that, but setting is also an element in a story, so taking a look at unique settings that might look like they could be the location for a fantasy story, dramatic story or comedic story, " she said.
Campbell recommends the youth take time with their photos.
"There's lots of unique ways to approach this theme through staging photos, so I would advise teens to really choose a topic, choose a category and really put a lot of thought into crafting it," she said.
Campbell said they held workshops at the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery (JNAAG) with local photographer Natali Bravo this year, to help youth learn about the composition of a photo.
She said the contest is a great opportunity for teens to start building a portfolio.
"It's also a really great opportunity to get your work and your photos in front of industry professionals and potentially have them selected for an exhibit, so it's a great potentially career building opportunity," she said.
Out of the submissions, 25 photos will be chosen and displayed at the art gallery from August 1 to October 4.
The contest is open for Lambton County residents between the ages of 13 and 18-years-old and photos must be submitted by July 6.
There will be a winner for each category and a grand prize winner.
Winners will receive their photography professionally printed and frames, a gift certificate from Mainframe or Carmen's Foto Source, or a virtual one-on-one session with photographer Peter Power.
More details can be found here.
