Using a Photography Contest to Celebrate and Raise Awareness of Departmental Activities

A photography contest was conducted in the geology department at Grand Valley State University to promote reflection of departmental field trips, highlight outstanding geologic features, raise awareness of department activities, and award exceptional photographers. Over 128 photographs were submitted in six categories that included; abstract images, geologic processes, Midwest geology, geologist at work, geologist at play, and best field trip photo. The contest was conducted on the web using Blackboard. Entries in each category were maintained within a separate blog and participants were able to use the voting feature to vote for their favorite two photos in each category. All students and faculty in the geology department were invited to participate and vote. We also invited administrators outside the department (i.e. deans) to view and judge entries. Over 400 votes were cast and prizes were awarded for first and second place