LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Institute recently announced the winners of its annual student photography contest, “24 Hours: A Photographic Interpretation of Life in the Adirondacks.”

The contest was open to all high school students residing in or attending school in the Adirondack Park. This year, the institute received 170 photos from 95 students. Eighteen schools participated.

Adela Gonzalez Eastman, a student at North Country School in Lake Placid, received first place honors. Mya Marshall from Lake Placid High School won second place, and Henry Gibson from Boquet Valley Central School in Elizabethtown took third place.

A selection of 28 photos will be exhibited at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts from March 1-16, in conjunction with the High School Juried Art Show sponsored annually by LPCA. A reception and award ceremony was held at LPCA on March 1. The photos will also be displayed on the institute’s website.

This year’s photography contest was judged by Manuel “Manny” Palacios, an evocative outdoor photographer from the Mohawk River Valley. Palacios often meanders through the Adirondacks, blending his roles of scientist and artist to capture the region’s natural aura. Photography, he believes, is a mindful communion with nature that elevates both subject and viewer. Instead of merely capturing moments, his work invites a deeper way of seeing. Palacios likes to push the envelope of technical possibility and enjoys guiding others to realize their full artistic potential.