art photography competition

Missouri Main Street Welcome Home Photography Contest

Text reads Welcome Home Photography Contest. Take photos of unique, historic doors in Missouri's historic commercial districts. Submissions open now! Submit from April 15 - May 31. Left side of image is a tall historic double door with transom windows surrounded by concrete architectural columns. On the right side, white text is on top of a coral color with a faded black and white image of two children smiling in front of an exterior door in bonnets and historical dresses.
 
Doors have welcomed many people into their homes, places of work, local shops, and more. They make an unconscious first impression on each building we enter. We imagine each time they say “welcome” as someone enters through their doorway. In Missouri, countless unique and memorable doors still stand in historic buildings just as they have since their installation, serving the same purpose to greet guests with their unique, historic details. In celebration of historic preservation, Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) is creating a poster which will feature the elegant and intricate doors in Missouri through a photography contest.   We invite you to participate in this photography contest for a chance for your community and photo to be included in our “Welcome Home Gallery”, “Welcome Home” poster, and “Memories on Main Street” publication.  

How to Participate:   Visit a historic commercial district. See our map of communities that have Main Street designations to know where to start. Submissions are not limited to Main Street communities. Take a photo of a unique, historic door or find a stunning picture you have in your camera roll from a previous visit to a historic commercial district in Missouri. Remember a door can be historic if it is 50 years or older. Submit the photo, a short description or reflection on why this door is meaningful to you or the community and your contact information through our contest form on our website between April 15th through May 31st. MMSC will review submissions and notify finalists by June 15th.

Finalists will be featured in a “Welcome Home Gallery” during Missouri’s Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference where attendees will start voting for the winners to be featured on a “Welcome Home” poster. Voting will last until October 31st and be hosted on MMSC’s website following the conference.   Each submission should be focused on a historic, architecturally unique, or meaningful door in a historic commercial district in Missouri. Additionally, each submission should include a short biographical statement with mention of your connection to Missouri and a narrative that will serve as the foundation for a caption for the judges and attendees to the “Welcome Home Gallery” at Missouri’s Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference to learn more about why this photo was submitted.   We are curious about the connections between historic places and the human experience with a specific emphasis on Missouri’s historic commercial district’s role.  

AI Clause: Missouri Main Street Connection seeks submissions that express the memories and emotions that are unique to each person’s human experience, and therefore only original human creative works will be accepted. The use of AI is strictly prohibited. If your submission is found to violate this policy, any submission by the offender will be disqualified and be denied from inclusion in the gallery, poster, and publication. Spellcheck and grammar tools on your finished description is not AI and is allowed.   

Intellectual Property: By submitting to Missouri Main Street Connection’s for the “Welcome Home” contest, you grant MMSC publishing rights in perpetuity for the materials included in the submission. You will retain the copyright for your contributions.  

Questions: Contact Logan at logan@momainstreet.org.