Albert Lea Area Schools start in less than a week, and what better way to kick off the new school year than with a chance to win some prizes?

The Albert Lea Tribune is asking readers to submit their photos from the first day of school as part of a new contest to celebrate the start of a new year.

Along with submitting the photos, parents or guardians should include the full name of the student pictured and the grade the student is starting. A phone number should be included that will be used for contact purposes only.

Photos should be emailed to news@albertleatribune.com and must be received by Aug. 23.

One winner will be randomly drawn from all submissions to receive six tickets to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

Another winner will be awarded the Tribune’s new Albert Lea-Opoly for the most creative photo submitted.

Photos may appear on the Tribune’s Facebook page, website or in the print edition Aug. 25.

We encourage people to have fun with this contest, and we look forward to seeing the photos submitted. We hope it will be the beginning of a great new school year.