The Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency has partnered with Waynesburg University senior Emma Herrle as part of her internship to open a photography contest for students on campus. Students are encouraged to submit their best photos of Greene County for a chance to win gift cards.

For years now, University students have had the opportunity to intern with the Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency under Tourism Director JoAnne Marshal. Herrle is the agency’s current intern. As part of the internship, Herrle is required to create a large project. A photo contest was one of the ideas.

“We’ve had this goal, that JoAnne and I discussed when I first came here in the fall, to connect the tourism office with University students and use this as a resource to engage them with the community,” Herrle said.“We’ve been brainstorming ways to do that through different projects. Our of brainstorming one day, we were like ‘What about a photo contest?’”

Herrle and Marshal said there was a lack of social media content and photos from the Greene Country tourism office compared to Pittsburgh tourism offices. Submissions will allow for the tourism agency to post more social media content, making Greene County more attractive to visitors. Herrle said only current Waynesburg University students are eligible to enter, but if the contest is successful, they will consider opening it up to Greene County natives.

The contest consists of two separate sessions with three separate photo categories in each. The first session, which runs from April 1 to April 14, will be for photo submissions of “High Street,” “Green in Greene County,” and “Spring on Campus at Waynesburg University.” The second session, which will run from April 15 to April 28, will be for photo submissions of “Trails and Parks,” “Restaurants and Shops,” and “Portraits.” 

“We want you to be creative,” Herrle said. “We want you to put your skills and knowledge to the test. You don’t have to be any sort of experienced or professional photography to enter. We’re looking for quality, obviously, but don’t feel like you have to be a super, mega professional to submit.”

Photos of any kind will be accepted, including those that are shot on a cellphone. According to Herrle, participators are encouraged to submit as many photos for each category as they want, however, they will only be able to win in one category. Winners will be chosen after each session and given a $25 gift card of their choice. 

“I want to see what they see,” Marshal said “Show us what you see when you are in Waynesburg.” 

To know more about the contest and its categories, or to enter, visit www.visitgreene.org/photo-contest.