Cooks takes first place in narrative series photo competition

Cooks takes first place in narrative series photo competition

Lilly Cook, a multimedia specialist at Northwest Missouri State University, was the recipient of a top prize while attending the University Photographers' Association of America (UPAA) Symposium June 22-26 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Cook was awarded first place in the UPAA's Annual Narrative Series Competition for her work to produce an online photo essay depicting a historic collection of images created by John Cameron, a Northwest faculty member from 1910 to 1915, on glass-plate negatives and donated to the University last year.

View Cook's photo essay by clicking here.

"It was awesome to be showcased," Cook said. "The work connects generations together. The fact that John's work almost died in a barn in Iowa and then turned into this huge thing is pretty cool."

The symposium brought together photographers from throughout the country for sessions, networking, photo exercises and portfolio critiques. Humbled by the recognition, Cook said she is eager to continue her work at Northwest.

"The people I met at the conference are so talented," Cook said. "When the work is put on the screen, it makes me feel small, but it's encouraging to bring all of that back, too, and it's encouraging me to go out and find more stories and capture them."

Cook joined Northwest's Office of University Marketing and Communication in October 2024 after completing her bachelor's degree in digital media at the University.

With other staff members comprising the multimedia services team in Northwest's Office of University Marketing and Communication, Cook has earned accolades in UPAA's monthly image competitions, including a first-place award for a photo essay of 2025 images, "Remember the Time," and a third-place award for a photo essay of images captured during November 2025, "Good Night Moon and Fall."