TOWAMENCIN – If a picture is worth a thousand words, three North Penn High School art students are hoping for one of theirs to also be worth at least a few hundred dollars.

North Penn’s Meghan Hricak, Ian Boland, and Charmy Patel have had their original photographs selected as entries into this year’s  Drexel Photography High School Contest, to be held on Saturday, February 11th from 1-3 PM at the Photography Gallery at Drexel University in Philadelphia. This contest is open to high school students across the country. Awards are $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for third place, all cash awards.

“High school students from across the country can enter Drexel’s contest. It’s a very competitive show and your work must be juried into the exhibit. The fact that North Penn has three students participating is quite an achievement. Only 120 images were selected this year,” explained North Penn High School photography teacher Joanne Carrick.

For Boland, having the prestige of being selected this year is extra rewarding.

” I submitted one to the contest last year and didn’t get in, so to get in this year is nice,” Boland said.

Each of the three students has slightly different photography experience at North Penn High School.

“Ian is also currently in Digital Photo 2 and plans to pursue photography in college. He often finds desolate, abandoned, and decaying structures to take his creative photographs,” Carrick stated.

Boland’s photo was taken in the subway corridor in Philadelphia. Hricak’s photo of a man playing the saxophone was taken near City Hall, also in Philadelphia.

The inclusion in this contest is a boost for Hricak who is already compiling quite a photography portfolio.

“She is currently in Digital Photo 3 and is building a portfolio to take the AP 2D design art exam. The AP art exam can earn her college credit just like any other AP class, but it is not the traditional written exam. Instead it is a portfolio of 24 works of art. Meghan has been creating a strong body of street photographs since last year. Her image selected for Drexel’s show is a wonderful example of one of her candid portraits taken in the city,” Carrick noted.

Hricak particularly liked the manner in which this street photo turned out.

“I really like the composition and the shadows in the picture and it’s really cool to be honored in the Drexel show,” Hricak reflected.

With high school students all over the United States eligible to enter the contest, the distinction of having three students from North Penn is certainly prestigious. While Boland and Hricak found inspiration for their work in nearby Philadelphia, Patel’s inspiration came from another now famous photograph.

“Charmy is currently in Digital Photo 2. She created her photograph for the Drexel contest last year while in Ms. [Alyssa] Crawford’s Digital Photo 1 class. Charmy also plans to take the AP 2D design exam,” said Carrick.

“My photo was inspired by the photographer Steve McCurry’s “Afghan Girl,” explained Patel, who has only been taking photography classes for two years.

The Photography Gallery is located on the 4th floor of the Paul Peck Problem Solving & Research Building located on the NE corner of 33rd & Arch Streets (101 North 33rd Street) and will be exhibiting the work from February 11th to March 5th, 2017.

People can view the work of six winning photographers and the work of 120 artists from around the country.

At the Opening Reception, there will be staff from Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design’s Recruitment office as well as representatives from Admissions. Faculty from the Photography Program and current photography students will also be on hand to speak and answer  questions.

Exhibit Hours

• Monday – Saturday 9am – 10pm
• Sunday – Noon – 8pm