May 2020 Update: The City of Valdosta and the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts have extended the deadline for the 12th Annual Valdosta People’s Choice Photo Contest. Many of us have experienced unexpected changes to our schedules over the last few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the partnership wants to give photo enthusiasts the extra time to capture the beauty of our community. If you’ve been planning to submit an entry for the contest (and if history is any indicator, there may be a few of you out there), please feel free to take this additional time. In observance of National Photography Month in May, the new deadline for the photo contest is Sunday, May 31, 2020. We want to take this opportunity to invite people to utilize the month of May to participate in the joy and skill of capturing images through the camera lens.

Photos entered into the photo contest will be printed on canvas wrap and hung in the Art Center Tillman Gallery. A $12 fee for one photo or $20 fee for two photos will be applied to have your photo printed on the canvas.

Interested individuals are welcome to submit up to two entries; however, all photographs must be taken within the Lowndes County limits. Entries must be electronically submitted to ajohnson@valdostacity.com by May 31, 2020.

Due to delays in the schedule, the opening reception will now be held on June 29 at the Turner Center to kick off the people’s choice voting, which will run through July 15.

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Coleman Talley is proud to continue its sponsorship of the Valdosta People’s Choice Photo Contest, partnering with the City of Valdosta, the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, and Valdosta Main Street for the 12th annual event. The local competition encourages the public to spotlight Valdosta through a camera lens and capture what makes it unique.

Interested individuals are welcome to submit up to two entries; however, all photographs must be taken within the Lowndes County limits. Entries must be electronically submitted by May 15, 2020 here.

An opening reception will be held at the Turner Center for the Arts on June 15, from 5-7 p.m., to kick off the people’s choice voting, which will run through July 15. For four weeks, the public can view the photos on display in the center’s Tillman Gallery and vote on their favorites.

Overall winners will be announced at the 12th Anniversary Awards Reception held at the arts center on Monday, July 20, from 5-7 p.m. A $300 cash prize will be awarded for first place, $200 cash prize for second place, and a $100 cash prize for third place from among the adult-submitted entries. Five honorable mentions will also be selected.

The public will also vote on the first-place youth photo (ages 16 and under) and one honorable mention. The youth first place winner will receive a $100 cash award.

The photographs will remain on display in the Tillman Gallery through Wednesday, July 29, at which time they will become part of a traveling display that can be viewed from August until December 2020 in various community locations.

For more information, call the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts at 229-247-2787 or the city’s Public Information Office at 229-259-3548.

Complete application online here