The Gerontology Center has begun taking submissions for their annual Images of Aging contest.
All current ACU students are encouraged to submit an original photo for the contest. There are three categories open for submission: color, black and white and mobile. The photo must contain a person who is 60 years or older.
Winners of the contest will be announced in March when the contest ends. The Gerontology Center will put on a lunch and hang up every submitted photo. There are first and second place winners for each category as well as honorable mentions.
Dr. Charlie Pruett, director of Pruett Gerontology Center, said the contest supports creative expression and encourages relationships between students and people from older generations.
“The Images of Aging Photo Contest was started with the hopes of promoting more intergenerational contact between ACU students and older family and friends,” he said. “The contest offers students an opportunity to express creativity in digital media.”
Mallory Wilkins, senior speech pathology major from Clyde, said she still keeps in contact with the women in the photograph she submitted for this year’s contest.
“I submitted a picture of my two adopted grandmothers that I met while studying abroad in Oxford, fall of 2012,” Wilkins said. “Their names are Mary and Joye, and the title of the picture is A Jolly Good Time in the Park. Mary and I remain pen pals to this day. She is 89.”
Becca Clay, graduate speech pathology student from Salt Lake City, Utah, has submitted pictures of her grandparents in the past.
“The contest is something that I have been blessed to be a part of, and I now have photos of my grandparents that I will cherish forever,” she said.
Addie Rich, junior speech pathology major from Boerne, said her favorite part of the contest is showing the models their photos and that they are still beautiful even when they’re more than 65 years old.
“Its good for them to see themselves as beautiful, and its rewarding for us to get to see them successfully aging,” Rich said. “That’s the whole point of this contest is to raise awareness that people successfully age and to take away those negative stereotypes about aging.”
To find out more about the contest or how to submit, visit blogs.acu.edu/imagesofaging.
