CU Holiday Card Photo Contest

Taking pictures has become a part of everyday life and is an art form to many. People post photos on their social media pages to express themselves and to share their lives with others, including those who are miles away. Pictures hold fond memories and show the beauty of the world.

    Concord University’s Holiday Card Photo Contest gives students, faculty, and alumni a chance to show their best photos. The theme for this year is Building Memories. Photos can be anything Concord related, such as a Greek photo, the skyline and the grounds of Concord, alumni gatherings, or even photos of Roar, the mascot for Concord University, then the photo is welcomed to be submitted. The contest has been around for years with photos dating back to 1969.  In the past, people have submitted photos and have designed their own cards.

    Each year has been different. In the past, students have designed their own cards along with others submitting their own photos. Two years ago, Concord started the digital cards that have music, featuring the ConChords. Concord has recordings of visual and audio for parents to see along with different photos of the campus and activities.

    Lora Woolwine, the Executive Secretary to the President, says they have gotten over 200 hundred photos. “It is kind of exciting. People are really getting into it, and it will allow us showcase what all Concord is about. I really think that it is not just about the buildings and people. It is about the warming fuzzy feeling you get when you step on campus.”

    While it is a holiday card, photos can be from anytime of the year, like from graduation or spring, and people can submit more than one photo. “We have people submit multiple photos, some only do one or two. We had someone submit 100 photos at one time,” says Woolwine. The idea of the contest is to show the beauty of Concord and why people love the campus. The contest allows for the best to be seen and to show why Concord University is called, “The Campus Beautiful”.

    When someone submits a photo, information will appear that will require users to fill out their information along with information about the photo. It is important to remember to write the names of everyone in the photo and to give the photo a title. There are three categories to submit pictures under which are faculty and staff, student, alumni and friends. “Alumni and friends could be anyone. It could somebody in the community, it could be a mom of a student that was here during orientation that caught a really good photo, or a photographer from Princeton that came up here because it is so pretty,” says Woolwine. There will be a clear winner for each category. Prizes have been donated this year for the winners. The judging committee is made up of a wide range of people that will look over the different pictures and they will do a blind judging.

    Everyone, including those who do not or have not attended Concord, can enjoy the contest. “There is a fondness for the university. Even if you are not an alumnus, faculty, student, or foundation member you can participate. This a community area, and we want them to be comfortable with the campus. We have community members that are tied to the founding fathers of Concord. Concord is a special place, and people come here to find what they what to be and who you want to be,” says Woolwine.

    Submitted photos can be used for publication with the credit being given to the photographer. The photos can show up in the Concord Magazine or in the Concordian. The deadline to submit photos is tomorrow, Friday, September 16th and winners will be announced Monday, September 26th. 

For more information regarding the Holiday Card Photo Contest, contact Lora Woolwine at lwoolwine@concord.edu or 304-384-5224.