Valdosta Mayor John Gayle will announce the winners of the 7^th Annual Valdosta People’s Choice Photo Contest at an Awards Reception at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, on Monday, July 20, from 5 -7 p.m. 

Citizens still have until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15 to cast their votes for their favorite contest photos, which are currently on display in the art center’s Tillman Gallery. The votes will be tallied by Friday and the results will be announced at the July 20 reception.

This year, several community organization sponsors will award monetary and gift prizes to all category and Best in Show winners, and special recognition will be given for several honorable mentions in the following categories: 

Colorful Camellias

Sponsored by the Valdosta Camellia & Garden Club

Inspired by Nature

Sponsored by the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA)

Patriotic Valdosta

Sponsored by the Woodmen of the World

Spirit of TitleTown U.S.A.

Sponsored by Georgia Power

Downtown Valdosta—Fun! Flair! Flavor!

Sponsored by Valdosta Main Street

The photographs will remain on display at the arts center for the public’s enjoyment through Saturday, July 25. Winning photos will then become part of a traveling display that may be viewed from August until December in various city locations.

The partnership between the City of Valdosta and the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, co-organizers of the Photo Contest, was featured by the Georgia Municipal Association at their 2015 Annual Convention, in Savannah, for the many ways the partnership recognizes the importance of the arts as a quality of life, civic engagement and economic development tool in the community.

All citizens are invited to attend the reception, as this is a free community event open to the general public. For more information, call the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts at (229) 247-2787 or the city’s Public Information Office at (229) 259-3548.