PHOTO CONTEST: The Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a photo contest, the Snapshots of Youngstown Winter 2021, through Feb. 28.

Individuals are encouraged to submit one or multiple pictures of how they’re starting off the new year on a good note. Some examples include exercising, getting outdoors, eating healthy or starting a new hobby. Submissions and ideas for what to enter can be found on the bureau’s website.

Individuals don’t have to live in Mahoning County to participate, but photos must be taken in the county. To learn more about submitting photos, go to www.youngstownlive.com/ snapshotsofyoungstown or call 800-447-8201. Winners receive a $50 gift card to area restaurants.

Multiple entries are permitted for more chances but applicants can only win one gift. The photo will be used on future marketing to promote Mahoning County.

RED CROSS HONORS HEROES: The American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley will honor local individuals at the 25th annual Acts of Courage Awards for their bravery and acts during a time of emergency. The event will be held virtually 11:30 a.m. March 4.

Honorees this year are: Dustin Nist, a Kent State University student who helped save a woman from a vehicle trapped in a river; Richard Santucci and Jim Shepherd, who helped save the life of a man who lost consciousness at Nordson Xaloy Inc. in Austintown; and Joanne White, who helped to keep others safe during COVID-19 by creating a partnership with Youngstown police chaplain Lewis Macklin to provide face masks to anyone who needed them.

To purchase tickets for the event, visit redcross.org/acts21.

BLISS KIDS: Since its inception in 2018, Bliss Kids Collective has offered a coalition of artists chances to participate in exhibition-driven challenges, each of which vary in criteria and subject the artists to parameters they may have not naturally considered otherwise. This year’s show will feature more than 20 regional artists faced with the challenge to exhibit three pieces of artwork in a series.

The Bliss Kid Collective’s exhibition “Ellipsis” is sponsored by Cliffe College, the Youngstown State University Department of Art, the McDonough Museum and the Student Art Association.

“Ellipsis” is Bliss Kids Collective’s seventh show, which included two shows during the global pandemic — a virtual show, viewable on its Instagram and a magazine that was published in spring of 2020.