Gallery 210 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis is extending the deadline for receiving applications for the “St. Louis through the Lens 2009, Irv Shankman Memorial Photography Contest.” Submissions must be postmarked no later than 5 p.m. July 9. Hand deliveries are acceptable at the gallery at UMSL’s Telecommunity Center, One University Blvd. in St. Louis County (63121).

Guidelines for submission are as follows: photographs must be of St. Louis and taken within the past 50 years, contestants must be Missouri residents and minimal photo enhancement will be allowed. Finalists and semi-finalists will be exhibited Sept. 10 through Dec. 5 at Gallery 210. Awards will be announced at the exhibit opening. Prizes include $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place and certificates from Allied Photos for three honorable mentions.

Visit http://www.umsl.edu/~gallery/ for a downloadable application with additional guideline, submission and juror information.

Irv Schankman (1924-2004) was a professional photographer and founder of Allied Photocolor and Imaging Center. His love of documenting St. Louis began as soon as he picked up his first camera in the sixth grade. In his junior year of high school, he made his way through police lines to photograph an emblazoned gasoline storage facility. Those photos featured dramatic silhouettes and appeared in the St. Louis Star-Times, thus marking the beginning of Schankman’s professional career.