FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Arbor Day Photo Contest winners announced

Students from Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford counties selected

RALEIGH —Students from three Triad counties were winners of the first N.C. Forest Service Arbor Day Photo Contest.

The contest challenged students in grades 5-12 to capture the beauty of a tree or forest in a photograph, and also demonstrate the benefits of trees to the urban environment in a short narrative describing “Trees Where I Live.” The benefits the students were asked to describe included energy conservation, shade, traffic calming, property values, wildlife habitat and stream buffers.

“Students’ photos were selected not only because of the excellent photography, but also because the photographers’ statements most closely met the objectives of our contest,” said Jennifer Rall, contest coordinator.

Following is a list of winners:

• Grand Prize Winner: Ryan Love, a senior at East Forsyth High School in Kernersville;
• First Place, Fifth to Eighth Grade: Alex Arrowood, a seventh-grader at Arrowood Academy in Lexington;
• First Place, Ninth to 12th Grade: Cameron Sardina, a junior at the Career Center in Winston-Salem;
• Honorable Mention, Fifth to Eighth Grade: Tykearreon Ledbetter, a fifth-grader at Parkview Village Elementary School in High Point;
• Honorable Mention, Ninth to 12th Grade: Abbi Ragland, a senior at the Career Center in Winston-Salem.

The winners will receive their awards at the annual Arbor Day Celebration March 16 at 1:30 p.m. at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. The grand prize winner will receive $150, a framed copy of his photo and a tree to plant on the grounds of his school. First-place winners will each receive $50 and a tree to plant on their school’s grounds.

Entries were judged on composition, technique and the use of light, overall impact and originality, as well as the expression of the theme, “Trees Where I Live.” There were a total of 35 entries from public, private and home schools across the state.

-brh-5