And the winners are ...

My boys had a good time last night. They both won first place in the school Reflections contest ~ a win that came with a trophy, a ticket to the IMAX show “Santa Versus the Snowman” and a $10 gift certificate to Wal-Mart.
Guess where I’m going today after school?
The boys won in the photography category. I encouraged them to enter in photography because this particular category is not flooded with entrants as is the literature and visual arts (drawing).
And, as it happens, we have a good camera in the house.
The theme for the Reflections contest was “My Favorite Place.” A-7 wanted to take a photograph of his elementary school, so one afternoon after classes we went over to the school, wandered around the building and took some shots.
I had one photograph in mind, and even encouraged him to take it ~ a shot of the school through the playground equipment. But he was set on taking a photo of the front of the building.
He took several shots. When it came time to print them out I talked to him about composition and let him decide which one of the shots he liked best.
L-12 photo was a little more creative. While we were at the school we spotted the large map of America painted on the pavement behind the school. L came up with the idea that his favorite place really is Utah, or the United States of America.
I showed him how to do a self portrait with the camera, and he took some photos of himself sitting on the map. As it happens, the one shot he liked the best also had A-7 in the background. I loved the creativity of the idea, and it seems the judges liked it too.
L-12 is in the middle school category, so when his work goes to district it will be up against 6, 7, and 8 grade students.
Winners of district go on to state, where winners of the state competition are entered in a national contest.
Both boys are tickled pink.
L has wanted to win a reflections contest since he first entered at the age of seven. This is the first time he has capture a trophy, but it is also the first time a $10 gift card was attached to the win. The child is motivated by money.
A, the lucky duck, pointed out “every time I enter a contest for the first time, I win!”