Joy of the Lens

The annual Joy of the Lens exhibit, inaugurated in 2009, features original photographs by current Maine residents, both amateur and professional, aged 16 or older. The three entry categories are: Color, Black & White, and a special “Challenge.”

Awards are made in all three categories with an additional Peoples’ Choice Award announced at the close of the exhibit. This signature event is co-sponsored by the Trustees and the Friends of the Topsham Public Library.

SIXTEENTH ANNUAL JOY OF THE LENS
Live in the Crooker Gallery, March 29 – April 25, 2025

The 2025 Joy of the Lens exhibit will be hosted in-person in Topsham Public Library’s Crooker Gallery and Highland’s Community Room. A reception is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025 from 1:00-2:30 pm and is open to the public. We’d love to have you join us! There will be no photographers’ talk this year.

Registration for the Sixteenth Annual Joy of the Lens will open on Saturday, February 22nd.

Find the printable guidelines with rules of entry and key dates for Joy of the Lens 2025 here.

If you have any questions, please email Kelsie Vosburgh at tplgallery@topshamlibrary.org or call the library at 725-1727.

** Sign up to receive email notifications about the JOY exhibits by clicking here. **

Please note that if you have previously “unsubscribed” from the gallery or Friends emails, you must re-subscribe if you wish to receive any JOY updates via email.

Congratulations to the 2024 Joy of the Lens Award Winners!

  • COLOR: Lilac Breasted Roller Takeoff by Linda Cullivan
  • BLACK & WHITE: Whilamut Passage: Transmission andTransportation by Patrick Dowd
  • ROB’S CHALLENGE – ABSTRACT REALITY: Urban Mirage by Marie Stuckey

Honorable Mentions

  • COLOR: Frost by Thomas Burrage
  • BLACK & WHITE: The Washer Woman by Dick Tarr
  • KAREN’S CHALLENGE – TRANSITIONS: Hellnar Morn by Bill Peabody

Joy of the Lens 2025

Topsham Public Library 16th Annual Photography Exhibit, co-sponsored by the Trustees and the Friends of the Topsham Public Library. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 4pm. ** Please read Rules of Entry and Submission Guidelines carefully before completing your registration. They can be found here: https://topshamlibrary.org/community-center/the-crooker-gallery/joy-of-the-lens/

Name(Required)
Address(Required)
Contact information(Required)
Contact information is for price list and catalog use. TPL does not broker any sales and interested buyers must contact artists directly. Check all that you would like included:

For display and catalog purposes (should appear as you’d like it on the exhibit label).
By providing an image for the catalog, you are supporting Friends of the Topsham Public Library and the expenses associated with Joy of Art. IMPORTANT: Image file(s) must be titled as follows: last name_first initial_photo title. See guidelines for further details. Please upload a JPG/JPEG format, high-resolution image.
Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, jpg, jpeg, png, png, Max. file size: 3 MB.
Write “NFS” if not available for purchase.
Entry Category (Entry #1)(Required)
Please select the best category for this entry.
Is there any information you would like the viewer to know about this photo? (will be included in the catalog)

You can copy and paste into this field. This form will accept up to 1,750 characters, including spaces. If you do not want to include a biography or photographer’s statement in the catalog, write “NONE”.
0 of 1750 max characters

Payment is due at drop-off. We do not accept online payment at this time. Cash, checks, or cards accepted.

Use Rights & Release of Liability(Required)
Gallery Policy & Waiver(Required)

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.