Students from New Rochelle's Ursuline School Compete in The Maritime Aquarium's 'Festival of Lighthouses Contest'

The following announcement is from The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk:

A model lighthouse that won the approval of the student body at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle is now moving on to compete for the $1,500 grand prize in the 13th annual “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

The menacing beacon named “Gerald the Anglerfish” – made by Claire Dillon, Quinn Murphy, Maeve Hughes and Emily Herrmann – is among the 24 creative handmade entries in the holiday display, which will be open daily Nov. 22-Jan. 19 at the popular Connecticut family attraction.

The lighthouse contest works like a juried art show except that you and thousands of other Maritime Aquarium visitors are the jury. Visitors can follow the homemade beacons through the galleries and cast a vote for their favorite. The lighthouse that gets the most votes wins $1,500. There are cash awards for five runners-up too.

The 24 lighthouses were built by local artists looking for a challenge, by families who wanted to work together on a fun project, and by students fulfilling a school assignment.

Seeing the lighthouses – and casting your vote – is free with Aquarium admission.

Ursuline School instructor Silvio Monacelli assigns his engineering students to enter the Aquarium contest each year, and generally there are three or four student-group entries. However, only one of the 24 contest spots was still available when the Ursuline applications were submitted to The Maritime Aquarium. So all of the schools’ students voted on which lighthouse would get in. “Gerald the Anglerfish” won this unique “wild-card round” at Ursuline, and thus now will compete now for visitor votes (and prize money) at the Aquarium.

The four Ursuline students demonstrated knowledge of marine life in creating “Gerald the Anglerfish.” Anglerfish are a species that has developed a long fleshy growth from their heads that acts as a lure. In deep-sea anglerfish, this lure can light up. “Gerald the Anglerfish” has a round head, enormous white fangs and a lighted lure – a bare lightbulb; the lighthouse’s light – hanging in front of its mouth. He sits on a large craggy navy-blue base scaled by green vines.

“Each year we are amazed by the time and effort that our contestants put into their lighthouses,” said Judith Bacal, the Aquarium’s exhibits director. “The bar gets raised every year on design and craftsmanship. In turn, having all these smart and creative pieces of art on display only makes the experience of visiting The Maritime Aquarium during the holiday season even more engaging, enjoyable and memorable.”

Rules of the “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” are kept to a minimum to allow for maximum creativity. Lighthouses must be 3 to 6 feet tall and have a working light, and may not include animal remains, such as shells. Beyond that, it’s up to the creators’ imaginations. Some lighthouses are modeled after actual lighthouses; others are wildly whimsical.

Lighthouses in the 2014 contest are made out of everything from wood, paper and stone to frosting, gingerbread, crocheted yarn, gumballs and homemade candies. Some are modeled after real lighthouses, such as the Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield. Others are wildly imaginative, with dragons, zombies and the cast of Disney’s “Frozen” all represented. (But thankfully all not on the same lighthouse.)

“Because each visitor gets a lighthouse ballot, the contest adds another element of family fun to an Aquarium visit, as kids and parents debate and compare their votes,” said Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “Their opinions usually are quite different.”

Besides the contest’s $1,500 top award, other prizes are: $750 for second place, $375 for third; $300 for fourth; $225 for fifth; and $150 for sixth. Winners will be announced at an evening reception on Jan. 22.

The 2014 “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” is free with Maritime Aquarium general admission, which is $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $12.95 for children ages 3-12.

For more details about Maritime Aquarium exhibits, IMAX® movies and programs, call (203) 852-0700 or go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org.

Photo: “Gerald the Anglerfish,” created by four students at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle – Claire Dillon, Quinn Murphy, Maeve Hughes and Emily Herrmann – is one of 24 entries in the 13th annual “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” in The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. The lighthouse exhibit will be open Nov. 22 – Jan. 19. Aquarium visitors can follow the beacons through the galleries and then vote for their favorite. The lighthouse with the most votes wins $1,500. For more details, go to www.maritimeaquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700. Photo credit: The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk