Independence Day is approaching and Bristol is preparing to celebrate. Among the early events is the annual photo contest.

After the entries have been scrutinized by professional photographers, the Fourt of July Committee has made its picks. Several amateur shutterbugs from throughout the region have earned bragging rights and some exposure as their works are displayed in the front windows of Paper Packaging and Panache. The top three in the "Celebrations" and "Creative" categories are now displayed. The winners in the "Patriotic," "Nature" and "Bristol" categories have been on display in the wondows of Rogers Free Library.

The contest winners in "Celebrations" and Creative" include:

Celebrations

1st: Music in the Air, by Nancy Securo-Gibbmeyer
2nd: Little Captain at the Wheel, by Lynn Bethune
3rd: Bristol's American Girl Emma, by Donna Wilson

Creative

1st: The Road Not Taken, by Nicole McGovern
2nd: Mind Set, by Pam Marsden
3rd: Man By The Sea, by Audrey Cabral