Get On Board the Montana State Library Meme Contest
The photo above is not in the vast collection that the Montana State Library (and the Montana Memory Project) have collected. However, there are many other historical images online that can be part of what has become an annual contest. Use one of those photos and turn it into a "meme."
The Historical Photo Meme Contest submission deadline is May 13 and has three different age categories - 10 to 18 years old, 19 to 40 years old, and 41 to 120 years old.
What's a meme? Usually, it's an image or video that can be associated with an idea or emotion, and is often spread throughout the internet. The image can be altered, the idea it portrays can be humorous and maybe not usually related to the image. Some are only understood by a small group of people. Others are shared, and shared again.
For instance, Jennifer Burnel of the Montana Memory Project had an example in a Big Sky Connection news article: "...[Leroy] always fancied himself a chick magnet," and it was a picture of a man feeding his chickens..."
In that instance, the meme was simply an old photo that was labeled with a funny explanation.
Instructions are on the Montana Memory Project website. Browse through their photos and when you've picked one, use a "meme generator," which are listed on the contest instruction page. E-mail the entry to the proper age category, with your name, your meme attached, and the link to the original image.
Montana State Library staff will announce the finalists on May 18. Those entries will be posted on a contest site and people can vote from May 20 to May 27. The most "likes" in each category will win.