The new Kansas Room librarian at the Hays Public Library was looking for a new way to celebrate the state’s 152nd anniversary of becoming the 34th state in the Union.
So Lucia Flaim decided to organize a photo contest with pictures depicting Kansas.
“We have so many artists and amateur photographers in Hays. I wanted to open it up to anyone regardless of experience or age,” she says.
Entries were accepted December 1-January 18. “We had 54 photos, which I think is pretty good for the first time.”
A brother and sister captured first and second place in the “Natural Kansas” category for ages 12 and under.
“I took a picture of a cat, not mine, a stray cat,” explains Lauren Seibel, 10. Lauren received second place, Her 8-year-old brother Grant took first place with a picture of the frozen-over Big Creek.
The Seibel siblings received their awards, as well as disposable cameras and candy, during a closing reception for the photo exhibit Tuesday night, Kansas Day.