Emily Wright, an eighth grader at Dawson County Middle School, placed in the top 10 in two categories of the 2011 Georgia 4-H Photography Contest over the summer.

Wright placed third in the general photography contest division with her entry called "Cat" and seventh in the focus on agriculture division with her entry called "Peaches."

Wright said that both her uncle and grandfather have an interest in photography and that when she first started the hobby she began with shots of waterfalls.

When time came to enter the contest this summer, Wright decided to leave the waterfalls behind and used a picture of her kitten Jingle Bells.

"It was a cute picture and I liked it," Wright said. "We divided up the kittens and that was my kitten so it was special."

Wright said she was excited about the third place finish because she didn't believe her picture would place that high.

Wright's "Peaches" entry was a random choice.

"I was taking pictures of random things one day and my mom was making peach preserves," Wright said. "I didn't have many pictures that would fit in the agriculture category, so I thought that the peaches would fit."

Susan Wright, a biology and chemistry teacher at Dawson County High School and Emily's mother, said she was excited and proud when she found out her daughter had done so well in the competition.

"She had a lot of fun taking the pictures and this is a great honor for her," Susan Wright said. "We are glad that she is a part of 4-H, which offers her so many opportunities to explore fun, new things beyond what she is learning in school."

The top 10 finalists and the honorable mentions of each division from the contest were displayed at the 2011 Georgia 4-H State Congress event that was held July 19-22 in Atlanta.

The top 10 finalists will also be on display in October at the 2011 Georgia National Fair in Perry.