Thank you, thank you, thank you Sanford, for an amazing first month of selfies! We are very pleased to present the first winners of the Sanford Selfie Competition. It means the world to us that so many of you submitted such amazing representations of your love for Sanford, and we are truly appreciative for your contributions to this grassroots marketing campaign.

Before we announce the winner of the Selfie Competition, let’s first take a look at the awesome prize package being offered by our April Selfie Sponsor, the Corner Cafe.

April 2015 Prizes:

Main Sponsor: Corner Cafe Prize Package valued at $350:

$100 “Selfie Dollars” to spend at select Sanford businesses (YOU choose from our growing list)
Dinner for 4 at the Corner Cafe ($100 value)
2 tickets to see the play “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie (runs May 1- May 9 at Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center) ($50 value)
2 tickets to the Kentucky Derby Party on May 2nd, 2015 (a $60 value)
“Selfie Stick” (Self-Portrait Handheld Monopod with Bluetooth Remote, a $40 value) donated by Palm Tree Computer Systems of Sanford

Thank you, Corner Cafe and Palm Tree Computer Systems for providing great incentives for the launch of our competition!

A Word About Our Sanford Selfie Judge

We chose someone from outside of Sanford in order to eliminate bias and ascertain that the selfies would be judged on their artistic and social impact. Yvette Waters‘ extreme attention to detail and experience as a professional photographer based out of Debary made her a natural choice. Just to get a little insight into her judging process for the competition, I asked her a few questions about her #SanfordSelfie experience.

What impression did the submitted selfies make on you?
I was impressed by the contestants enthusiasm about living and playing in Sanford. They seem to really enjoy were they live and want to share that with the world.

What, in your opinion, makes a great Sanford Selfie?
A great selfie shows personality and a view of the environment and location. It tells a short story of the subject’s life, interest or activities

Did any of the selfies surprise you? Did you see anything you would not expect to see in Sanford?
I was not surprised by what I saw. I did, however, come to a better understanding of how selfies are in fact the newest form of American Folk Art.

What is your personal selfie style? (camera, angle, expression, activity, etc)
My personal “style” of Selfie is the camera angle, showing the environment and facial expression. I love it when it has a sense of humor.

What advice or tips do you have for next month’s participants?
Next month’s participants should just have fun with their Selfies and try to get as much of the location in the shot as possible.

Thank you very much, Yvette, for lending your artistic eye to our competition!

And now, the first month’s winner of the Sanford Selfie Competition is….

Mayor Jeff Triplett!

Mr. Triplett snapped this #SanfordSelfie while on a visit to Pinecrest Elementary school. Our judge loved the energy and enthusiasm of this photo and thought the sense of setting was unbeatable. Thank you very much for participating, Mr. Mayor!

Mr. Triplett is the winner of our April prize package, but has generously chosen to donate his prizes to Mr. Tillman, a teacher at Pinecrest elementary, to pass onto his students as incentives for hard work in the classroom. I’m sure his generosity will be greatly appreciated by those who get to enjoy the theatre tickets, dinner at Corner Cafe, and the selfie stick!

Due to time constraints, the mayor also donated his Kentucky Derby party tickets to whomever was able to attend that day, and I thought it only appropriate to give them to our second place winner, the fabulous dynamo Sheena Reena Fort! Sheena is a huge supporter of the Sanford Selfie Competition, and submitted several awesome selfies this month. She looked great at our Kentucky Derby party, and I can’t wait to see what selfies she will come up with in May!!