First photo contest seeks snaps of winter wonderland
Officials also seek to improve communications with residents
Capturing the essence of a Macomb Township snow day at a perfectly picturesque moment could earn a photographer a prize this winter.
Macomb Township is currently hosting its first ever Macomb Township Winter Photo Contest. Residents are invited to submit up to three photos they have taken within township boundaries for a chance to win a prize and have a photo displayed inside township hall.
“There is a lot of beauty in Macomb Township between our parks, greenspaces, and farmland,” Supervisor Frank Viviano said. “We have a lot to offer creatively and artistically, and we want to highlight that. The contest encourages our residents to show off the things that give our township its character.”
There is no cost to enter the photo contest. Photographers are asked to seek out aspects or scenes that speak to the unique character and spirit of the township’s community during the winter season. Photos must be taken by the contest participant in Macomb Township and must be appropriate for all audiences, and cannot depict any illegal activity or explicit content.
They must be submitted as .JPG, .JPEG, .PNG or .PDF files in order to be considered for the competition. There are no specific guidelines for photo submission size, but photos will be printed at 18 inches by 24 inches for judging and display. Submitted photos should not have been published previously in any medium such as print or online.
Photo entries are required to be original and should not infringe on any third-party rights. Stock or generated photos, or photos that do not belong to the entrant, will be disqualified.
Any digital manipulation such as Photoshop must be limited to basic exposure, color correction and cropping. Photos that have been extensively manipulated will not be considered. Contest photos are prohibited from having watermarks, borders or other personal identifiers.
All photo contest participants must be age 16 or older, and township residents. If a photo depicts any people, the contest participant is responsible for obtaining the person’s consent to use their likeness.
Participants must possess full rights to the submitted photos and by entering the contest, grant Macomb Township a non-exclusive right to use and reproduce the photos. Full contest rules for submissions and entry criteria can be found at macomb-mi.gov /644/2024-Winter-Photo-Contest .
The contest is open until 4 p.m. on April 1. Contest photo entries or questions can be sent to photos@macomb-mi.gov. Photos may alternately be delivered in person to the Macomb Township Supervisor’s Office, located at 54111 Broughton Road. All photos submissions must include the location of the photo, the date it was taken, and the entrant’s name and contact information.
A selection committee will review the submitted photos and choose 10.
“The Board of Trustees will serve as the selection committee,” Viviano said.
Judging criteria will include creativity, technical quality and relevance to the contest’s purpose. Selection process rules indicate that once the 10 photos are chosen, the selection committee will host a public showing, allowing residents to share their thoughts.
“The public will be able to view the photos chosen by the selection committee inside the lobby of township hall, the recreation center and the North Branch of the Clinton Macomb Public Library,” Viviano said. “The specific dates and times are still being determined.”
The township hall is located at 54111 Broughton Road, the recreation center at 20699 Macomb St., and the library North Branch is at 54100 Broughton Road.
The first, second and third place prize winners will be selected following the public showing. Photo contest winners will be announced on April 19. Winners will have their work displayed inside the township hall, in the Macomb Minute newsletter, and will earn a additional prize.
The first-place winner will receive a $200 gift card, the second-place winner will receive a $100 gift card, and the thirdplace winner will receive a $50 gift card.
Viviano said that residents will be able to vote for their favorite photos via an online photo contest webpage, or by visiting the photos in person at a display location, using a scanned QR code to cast their vote.
In addition to the photo contest, the township is also seeking to find more ways to reach out to residents effectively. A new survey is now online at macombtwp.org/commsurvey , designed to obtain a better understanding of the community’s needs and preferences for receiving information. Paper copies can be obtained at the township hall in the lobby, or from the supervisor’s office. The survey will remain open until Feb. 29.
“We’re committed to continuously evolving and improving our communication strategies to make sure the public is aware and engaged with what’s happening around the township,” Viviano said. “The best way that we can do that is by hearing what our residents have to say.”
The communications survey’s goal is to help the township determine which of its communication efforts are most effective. It is also designed to help the township learn how the majority of residents are getting their information about local events, initiatives and announcements, in order to more effectively communicate with residents.
Survey questions include asking how often residents visit the township’s website, and how frequently they would like to receive notifications from the township. Viviano said residents can provide their thoughts on the type of content they want to see, how they prefer to receive content and what they believe the township can do to improve communication.
“The questions in the survey are designed to show us which strategies we currently use to communicate information to the public are proving to be the most effective. Participants also can share their opinions on what information they want to see more of and how they want to receive it,” Viviano said. “Based on the data from the survey, we’ll be able to adjust our approach to communications accordingly.”