Pawtucket – It’s that time of year for the annual City of Pawtucket Photo Contest exhibit, where all submitted photos are typically on display for public viewing during the month of September, but COVID-19 has presented it’s challenges even for this photo presentation.   This annual contest provides an opportunity to bring awareness to the daily life, historic locations and the ever-changing landscape of Pawtucket through the lens of a camera.

This year because of the restrictions for safety reasons in public spaces and social distancing, all submitted photos will be on ‘exhibit’ on the City of Pawtucket website, where it can easily and safely be viewed by visiting www.PawtucketRI.com.  

Ninety submissions were received for the City of Pawtucket’s 22nd Annual Photo Contest. The contest was open to residents and non-residents alike, but the photo must have been taken in Pawtucket. After a public call for photo contest themes was advertised this past January, approximately 10 theme suggestions were received. The theme selected for this year’s contest was “Hiding in Plain Sight” submitted by Louise Zacharie of Cumberland.

From these entries, twelve winning photos, will be selected by a panel of local professional photographers.  Following tradition, one winning photo will be chosen by Mayor Donald R. Grebien for the distinct honor of being used for the 'cover shot'. All winning photos will be used in the City of Pawtucket's 2021 Photo Calendar. Calendars are made available free of charge and can be found in Pawtucket City Hall late December.

One highlights of this annual contest has been the participation of the 5^th grade students from the city’s public schools. This year, because of the tremendous support and efforts made by the teachers and school administration, these students were provided a photo workshop through video, that provided them instructions with photo technique to help them participate in this contest.  Students were encouraged to use their individual creativity while exploring their surroundings, with the contest theme subject to the students’ interpretation. The result from this workshop is what is on exhibit today. Participating students were from Baldwin, Fallon Memorial, Flora S. Curtis, Nathanael Greene, Potter-Burns, and Varieur Elementary Schools in Pawtucket this past spring.

All photos will remain on the City of Pawtucket website during the month of September. Mayor’s Choice Award will receive $100 cash prize, First Place will receive $75.00 cash prize, 2^nd Place will receive $50.00 cash prize with remaining winners receiving gift certificates. All winning photos will be used in the City of Pawtucket’s 2021 Calendar.

Winners will be announced by Mayor Donald R. Grebien on the city website on Sunday, September 27 after 4pm.  This year's judges featured professional photographers Butch Adams, Richard Benjamin, Christy Christopolous, Peter Goldberg and Aaron Usher.

This contest and project were made possible by the generous support of its sponsors, the City of Pawtucket, the Pawtucket School Department and The Camera Werks of Providence.

About our Judges:

Butch Adams is an award-winning photographer formerly from The Pawtucket Times and recipient of several awards from the National Press Association, the New England Press Association and the RI Press Association for his photography.

Richard Benjamin has been a photojournalist for 34 years, 27 of them at the Providence Journal.  Today he is a “fine art photographer” and has captured various locations many times at different times of the day and in different seasons of the year.  He aspires to capture the magic of Rhode Island, which includes photos that show the lifestyle and how people in Rhode Island enjoy simply living here, which ultimately brings about a greater appreciation for the smallest state in the union. Richard is also a provider of stock photos of Rhode Island, in addition to publishing several books on his photography.

Christy Christopoulos, a native Rhode Islander born and raised - is a Pawtucket based photographer who opened his studio in 1986. With over 34 years of experience in photography, he specializes in product and portrait photography and has had the opportunity to work on numerous and exciting accounts as well as all major retail stores. Some of his accounts include BJ’s, GE, J.C. Penny, Jareds, Kay Jewelers, Macys, PaineWebber, Pawtucket Credit Union, Reebok, Target, Walmart and Zayes. He has won several awards for his work, including a number of Kodak gallery awards, Fuji awards, and the Mead paper award.

Peter Goldberg is a Rhode Island based freelance photographer specializing in editorial, assignment and public relations photography. Peter is known for his creative, yet non-obtrusive shooting style and his ability to tell stories and capture people in comfortable and natural ways. Recently Peter has become interested in photographing birds and learning about bird habitats. Peter has had a home and studio in Pawtucket for 20 years.

Aaron Usher is a Rhode Island based commercial photographer specializing in architecture, interiors, and fine-art photography. A 40-year pro, his clients are mainly companies in the building industry, such as architects & interior designers, as well as, web and graphic designers. This work is used to market his clients’ businesses in magazines, web sites, and company brochures. Aaron's personal work featuring Ice Abstractions and Unusual Juxtapositions, is exhibited in galleries throughout the region. He lives in Pawtucket with his wife, Lynn and their golden retriever, Lily.

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Some of the themes from past contests have been:

(2019) “Pawtucket Works”; (2018) “Pawtucket: A Closer Look; (2017) “The Flavor of Pawtucket; (2016) "Pawtucket’s Color Palette”, (2015) “Pawtucket: A Different Perspective, (2014) " Piece of Pawtucket", (2013) “All in a Day’s Work”, (2012) “The Four Seasons of Pawtucket”, (2011) “Reflections of Pawtucket,  (2010) “Faces of Pawtucket”,  (2009) “Doorways & Gateways in Pawtucket”, (2008) “Paws (or Pause) in Pawtucket”; (2007) “Historic Places in Pawtucket”; (2006) “Pawtucket People, Places or Things”; (2005) “Discovering Pawtucket”; (2004) “Taking Pride in Our Neighborhoods”; (2003) “Pawtucket Mills: Our Past and Our Future” and (2000, 2001, 2002) “Pawtucket: A City in Focus”.