Submissions accepted for library’s ninth annual photo contest

Amateur photographers called to depict ‘Nature in the Modern World’

By: Mary Beth Almond | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published February 3, 2025

Advertisement

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP —  Through March 9, Bloomfield Township residents have a chance to express their creativity by entering the library’s annual photo contest.

Bloomfield Township Public Library Assistant Director Katherine Bryant said the photography challenge was created nine years ago as a way to engage the community and make the library experience more participatory.

“This competition offers a platform to highlight local artistic talent while strengthening our sense of community and shared appreciation for the interesting perspectives around us. We invite Bloomfield Township residents of all ages to join in and celebrate their unique vision as part of this cherished event,” Bryant said in a statement.

Library Director Tera Moon said her team is always looking for different ways for residents and patrons to interact with the library.

“We have all of our regular patrons that are coming in and placing holds on books and reading books in our book clubs, but this reaches a different audience — maybe folks who aren’t heavy readers but still enjoy the sense of community that a library brings,” she said.

The ninth annual photo contest encourages township residents of all ages to capture images of “Nature in the Modern World”— reflecting humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Photo entries, library officials said, should explore how people coexist with nature in today’s world.

“Participants are invited to use photography to share or gain insight about our place on planet Earth,” Moon said. “We’re encouraging patrons to explore the ways that human beings and nature exist together, both positive and negative.”

People of all ages are eligible to compete, as long as the shutterbug is a township resident or a current Bloomfield Township library card holder and the image was taken in any location between May 1, 2024, and March 9, 2025. Submissions to the contest can be in color or black and white, digital or print.

The photographs will be grouped into three age categories — 12 and younger, 13-18, and 19 and older — for judging. The deadline to enter photos is midnight March 9, and people can enter no more than two photos.

“We award a third, second and first place in each of those categories, plus there is a Best in Show winner and we always have a People’s Choice Award,” Moon explained.

After the March 9 submission deadline, all the entries will be posted on the library’s web page, where patrons can vote for their favorite photo to win the People’s Choice Award.

Judges will also select winners in each category, which will be announced at a special reception at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5. Their work will also be displayed in the library’s lobby.

“I think it’s a really cool and different way that patrons can interact with the library,” added Moon.

Details about the ninth annual library photo contest can be found at btpl.org or by calling (248) 642-5800. The Bloomfield Township Public Library is located at 1099 Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Township.

Advertisement