GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska (KSNB) – The Nebraska State Fair is taking place this week in Grand Island and is offering 4-H students the opportunity to showcase their photography skills at an exhibition.
The students come from all 93 counties in Nebraska and bring a unique photo from their area to the exhibition.
The photos were awarded ribbons on Wednesday based on criteria such as focus and clarity of the photo.
Fillmore County Extension Assistant Alexis Schmidt said the judges had an interesting way of making the exhibit open to the public.
“It’s quite a mathematical equation to make sure everything is displayed correctly,” Schmidt said. “We count all the exhibits to make sure the number is correct, but we also make sure it’s a nice, engaging exhibit for the 4-Hers to display their exhibits in.”
She also said that one purpose of the photo contest is to help participating 4-H children discover their interests.
“Nebraska 4-H is based on the ‘Thrive’ model, which encourages young people to discover their passions or the little things that inspire them and pursue a career path or something like that,” Schmidt said.
The competition also provides 4-H students with the opportunity to network with professionals to further pursue their passions.
Schmidt said that through the competition, the children also learn a number of skills that could be useful to them in the future.
“They learn all kinds of skills, from working behind the camera to getting the focus right, making sure their data labels are labeled correctly, but also marketing their project,” Schmidt said. “This could become an entrepreneurial project for them at some point.”
She also said that her favorite part about being part of UNL Extension’s 4-H program is seeing the pride on the children’s faces when they win a ribbon.
“Seeing the final presentation and seeing all the kids find their projects and just having that smile on their face knowing their hard work paid off,” Schmidt said.
The 4-H photo exhibit will be on display at the Nebraska State Fair Exhibit Building through September 2.
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