5th Annual Telluride Hot Shot

29 Jun 5th Annual Telluride Hot Shot

“Many of our past winners have submitted photos from their cell phones–there are so many chances to get a good picture on July 4th,” said event founder Katrine Formby.

Daniel Tucker founded Telluride’s Ah Haa School for the Arts in 1991 based on the idea that everyone is creative. All it takes is the right place, the right time, and the right circumstances to bring out our inner Picasso – or Brassai.

The right place: San Miguel County.
The right time: All day on the Fourth of July.
The right circumstances: The upcoming “Hot Shot Photo Contest.”

Along with floats, flyovers, a public BBQ, an outdoor Impressionist art show, after five years, Katrine and Bill Formby’s Hot Shot Photo Contest has become a popular addition to Telluride’s Fourth of July celebration, a tribute to all things Norman Rockwell – on steroids.

Event sponsors – Ah Haa, the Nugget Building, the Telluride Watch, the Steaming Bean, the Telluride Volunteer Fire Department, and Telluride Inside… and Out – invite everyone in town – visitors, amateur and professional photographers, kids – to take your best shot and then enter it into the 5th annual Hot Shot Photo Contest. It’s all about building community one person, one image, at a time.

And the possibility of a $500 cash award.

The panel of judges – this year, fire chief Scott Bennett; Mayor Stu Fraser; Erica Kinias.,Telluride Historical Museum; Judy Kohin, Ah Haa; Anna Korn, Watch Newspapers; Meghann McCormick, Steaming Bean and Melange; Clint Viebrock, Telluride Inside… and Out – is looking for the most memorable photo that also captures the spirit of July 4th.

There is no entry fee. Simply submit your photo online to at www.TellurideHotShotPhotoContest.com before noon on Saturday July 5. First prize is $500, second prize is $300 and third prize is $100. An additional ten photos will be selected as Honorable Mentions, with the photographers receiving $50 each.

“Even if you don’t want to enter the contest, you can be a part of it by voting online for Audience Favorite,” says Kohin.

The Audience Favorite winner will have his or her photo printed on 100 official U.S. Postage Stamps.

The idea for the Hot Shot July 4th Photo Contest dates back four or five years ago, when co-event founder Katrine Formby was chilling at Rancho La Puerta, Mexico. She and husband Bill happened to be at the spa during “Photography Week,” when the resort held a daily one-hour session on the medium. Katrine participated and remembered the fun she had.

For contest details and to vote for your favorite snapshot, go to www.TellurideHotShotPhotoContest.com

For more information, call the Ah Haa at 970/728-3886.