Coneys Wins Astoria Federal Photo Contest
Marie Coneys, a talented Huntington High School senior who is headed to Hunter College on a full scholarship under its new Muse Scholars program, is one of a dozen winners in the Astoria Federal Savings' Eighth Annual Teen Photo Contest.
The Astoria contest is open to teenagers between the ages of 13-19. This year, student photographers were encouraged to use their cameras and creative approaches to capture the theme, "Eye on Style: People, Fashion and Trends."
Entries in the contest ranged from stylish portraits that captured people in unique settings to stylized close-up shots. More than 1,700 entries were submitted by students of 85 high schools in Suffolk, Nassau, Brooklyn, Queens and Westchester.
Ms. Coneys was selected as one of the contest winners based upon her powerful textured photo of a casually dressed young woman. Her work was displayed during a recent awards reception held at Astoria Federal's Lake Success headquarters. The senior won a $250 cash prize while her Huntington photography teacher, Pam Piffard, benefited with a $100 grant for use with classroom items.
"We received a record number of entries this year and were impressed with the caliber of the photos," said Brian Edwards, Astoria Federal executive vice president and managing director or the retail banking group. "Each reflected the theme in unique ways. Clearly there's a lot of talent out there and we are happy to be able to recognize and reward several of these young artists."
The annual contest is one of the many ways Astoria Federal Savings is committed to its Education First initiative to promote lifelong learning in the communities it serves. "Whether we are helping youngsters develop financial literacy or fostering teenagers' creative expression, we actively support education at every age level," Edwards said.