Capture the 'Spirit of America' in The Observer's photo contest

Do you have a photo that captures the “Spirit of America?” The Observer is seeking submissions for its first online photo contest, “Spirit of America,” on YourObserver.com. Upload your photos that celebrate America’s birthday, the Fourth of July. The winner of the contest will be featured in The Observer’s annual Fourth of July special section, “The Spirit of America.”

Entering the contest is easy. Simply visit YourObserver.com and click on the “Spirit of America” photo contest rectangle, located on the bottom, right-hand corner of YourObserver.com’s home page. Click on the “submissions” tab, fill out the form and upload your favorite photos. Submissions will be accepted from now until 8:45 a.m. Monday, June 15.

Reader voting for the best photo representing the “Spirit of America” will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, June 15 and end at 5 p.m. Monday, June 22. Registered users can vote up to 10 times per day. Get your family and friends involved, too, have them visit YourObserver.com to vote for your photo, or share your submissions on social networking programs such as Facebook and Twitter to help garner more votes.

The winning photo will be featured in The Observer’s “Spirit of America” special section, which will be inserted into all three of The Observers — Longboat, East County and Sarasota — on July 2, as well as on YourObserver.com. The winner will also receive a PENTAX Optio T10 6.0 Megapixels digital camera with 3x optical zoom, valued at $329.99, and sponsored by Donovan at Wolf Camera.

Not Web savvy? Don’t worry, you can mail your entries, along with contact information to:
The Observer
RE: Spirit of America Photo Contest
1517 State Street, Suite 301
Sarasota, Fla., 34236
 

FEATURED SUBMISSION
This week’s featured entry is “Patriot Baby,” submitted by Amanda Morris, of Sarasota. Morris took this picture of her son, Matthew, when he was 5 weeks old.

“While it might just look like a cute baby in a red, white and blue outfit, it really represents so much more,” Morris says. “Even though it will be years before he discovers the value of being an American, he represents the ‘Spirit of America’ for all the hope and glory that this great land offers.”

Matthew’s patriotic parents are Rob and Amanda Morris. Rob is a native Sarasotan and Amanda grew up in Bradenton, as a third-generation Manatee County resident. In 2005, Rob convinced Amanda to move “south” from Manatee County where their family, including Matthew’s big sister Ansley, now resides in the same Sarasota neighborhood where Rob grew up. Upload your favorite Fourth of July picture on YourObserver.com.