Lighthouse Photo Contest

Big Lake Lights to Help in Big Steps Toward Joint-Replacement Recovery

Photos of 11 lighthouses from around Lake Superior have been chosen for a special project intended to encourage recovery from joint replacement surgery that will launch in January at Essentia Health - St. Mary’s Medical Center. There were 337 photos entered into the contest.

The winning lighthouse photos show lights (in alphabetical order) at Ashland, Wisconsin; Duluth’s North Pier; Grand Island, Michigan’s East Channel; Grand Marais, Minnesota; Isle Royale National Park, Michigan; Copper Harbor, Michigan; Michipicoten Island, Ontario’s East End; Sand Island, Wisconsin; Split Rock, Minnesota; Two Harbors, Minnesota; and Wisconsin Point, Superior. Click on the slideshow to the left to see the winning entries.

The winning photographers are Joel Cooper of Wawa, Ontario; Steve Nowakowski of Lambertville, Michigan; Lynn Strey of Thunder Bay, Ontario; David Barthel of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota; and Dennis O’Hara of Duluth, Minnesota, who had multiple photos chosen (the judges did not know who took any of the photographs).

Lake Superior Magazine partnered with Essentia to promote the photo contest.

Lighthouse photos were chosen for quality of the images and composition as well as for best matching the needs of the rehabilitation project. These photos will be used both on an oversized wall map and on an online website to mark waypoint incentives for patients recovering from joint replacement. Patients will “walk” their way around Lake Superior, arriving at the lighthouses and learning more about each light as they succeed in reaching each goal. A chart will indicate the patient’s progress, with each recovery plan tailored to the patient’s abilities.

Winners of the contest each get an Essentia-branded polar fleece throw, a one-year subscription to Lake Superior Magazine, a 2012 Lake Superior Mini Calendar and a Lake Superior Magazine Lake-and-Lighthouse Travel Mug.