Santa Cruz County is asking residents to submit photographs that represent the area’s landscapes, events, and daily life. The county is updating its website and outreach materials and wants community members to help capture the local culture through their photos.
The county is seeking images of desert and mountain scenery, community gatherings, well-known landmarks, historical sites, outdoor activities like hiking or cycling, birding, wildlife, boating spots, and other seasonal features. Both professional photographers and amateurs are encouraged to participate.
“Whether you’re a professional photographer or captured a great moment on your phone, your photos help tell an authentic story of our county,” according to the announcement.
To submit images, participants should email their photos along with signed release forms to communications@santacruzcountyaz.gov. Images must be at least 2200 pixels wide, approximately 1 MB or larger in file size, have a resolution of 72 dpi or higher, and be in JPG format. Each submission requires completed individual and photo/video release forms before any use by the county.
Selected photographs may appear on official Santa Cruz County materials or its website as part of efforts to showcase local culture through the perspectives of residents.
Recent data highlights educational challenges in Santa Cruz County schools. For example, 74.4% of students in grades 3 through 8 did not pass the mathematics section of the AASA during the 2022-23 school year (https://www.azed.gov/). In high school ACT testing for that year, 84% failed math (https://www.azed.gov/) while only 18% passed math in the following academic year (https://www.azed.gov/). English results were also low: 66.4% of younger students failed English on the AASA (https://www.azed.gov/) and 72% of high schoolers failed English on the ACT (https://www.azed.gov/).
Despite these figures, there have been some improvements: for instance, about 23.6% of third- through eighth-graders passed math on the AASA in the most recent year (https://www.azed.gov/).
“Selected images may be featured on the county website and other official materials, helping showcase the beauty, culture, and spirit of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, through the people who know it best,” according to organizers.
