Oregon Blue Book Cover Photo Sought

SALEM — Secretary of State Kate Brown announced the opening of a contest to select the cover photo for the 2015-2016 Oregon Blue Book.

Amateur photographers who are Oregon residents, who would like submit a color photo representing some aspect of Oregon, can find the contest guidelines and entry forms on the Oregon Blue Book website: http://bluebook.state.or.us/misc/cover/front.htm.  Photos must be taken in Oregon and must have a vertical (portrait) orientation. Entries must be postmarked by October 6, 2014.

The Oregon Blue Book is the official state almanac. It contains facts about all levels of government and more. The Blue Book has been published biennially since 1911, but 18 of Oregon’s 36 counties have never been represented on the front cover.

Secretary Brown said she is committed to address this oversight.

“The Blue Book is a special institution in Oregon” said Secretary Brown. “And as with every institution it deserves a fresh look to make sure it best reflects all of Oregon.”

The following counties have never been represented on either front or back cover of the Blue Book: Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Crook, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Josephine, Lake, Morrow, Polk, Sherman, Union, Wasco, Wheeler and Yamhill.

A state icon at over 100 years old, the Blue Book is published every other year and is the state’s official almanac and fact book, with listings and descriptions of educational institutions, media information, cultural and arts institutions, and all levels of government. It includes Oregon facts, maps, state history and election history.

Recent Blue Book front covers have displayed south-central Oregon’s “Diamond Lake at Sunrise,” fireworks lighting the night sky over downtown Portland, Oregon’s south coast “Shore Acres at Sunset, and the Rocking O Ranch, north of Joseph.

Recent back covers include pinot noir grapes in a spider web, a blue heron at Tigard’s Summer Lake, a young Malheur County bobcat, and driftwood on Cape Kiwanda’s beach.

To enter, send hard copy color 5 x 7s to: Blue Book Photo Editor, Secretary of State, Archives Division, 800 Summer Street NE., Salem, OR 97310. Questions can be directed to the Blue Book Editor, 503-378-5199, bluebook.changes@state.or.us