Astoria Federal Savings Announces Winners of 2013 Teen Photo Contest

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Astoria Federal Savings, Long Island's fourth largest bank by deposit market share and the second largest community bank headquartered in New York, today announced the winners of its ninth annual Teen Photo Contest.  As part of the bank's community outreach each year, Astoria encourages students, ages 13 – 19, to express their creativity by taking pictures of the world around them.  This year's theme was Culture and Traditions, asking students to capture distinctive and unique photographs of what visually represents the people in their lives and the customs that help make them who they are.  Students from 54 schools in Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens and Westchester submitted close to 600 photos to be considered for this year's contest.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130619/NY34408)

"The Teen Photo Contest is a program that we look forward to every year, and we were thoroughly impressed by the communities' participation and the quality of the work that was submitted," said Brian Edwards, Astoria Federal Savings executive vice president and managing director of the Retail Banking Group.  "We are committed to supporting various education programs that empower the young people in the communities we serve."

This year's winners were:

• Mueed Mohsin and Fiona Cece of Forest Hills High School
• Morgan Katsch of Somers High School
• Roseanne Caliendo of Lynbrook High School
• Ariana Mohan of The Wheatley School in Williston Park
• Steven Cole of Wellington C. Mepham High School in North Bellmore
• Selena Calixto of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Bay Parkway, Brooklyn
• Leah Vallario of Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills
• Gina Abbatiello of Northport High School
• Brian Kim and Bobby Lee of Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School
• Fangrui Tong of Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School in East Setauket
• Kaitlin Sicari of Shoreham Wading River High School

The winning submissions were selected based on their composition, clarity and originality in expressing the contest's theme.  The thirteen winning photographers were recognized at an award ceremony, which was held on June 12 at the Astoria Federal Savings headquarters in Lake Success.  Each winner received a $250 cash prize, while their schools received a $100 grant to be used toward their art departments.

The annual contest is one of the many initiatives of Astoria's Education First program to promote lifelong learning including Astoria's Teach Children to Save essay contest and school outreach, which encourage children to save money.  Education First also incorporates a series of charitable efforts such as Kids Tools for School, which helps to prepare students on the first day of school by providing them with new school supplies. 

For more about Astoria's community involvement, please visit the website, www.astoriafederal.com.

About Astoria Federal Savings
Astoria Financial Corporation (NYSE: AF), with assets of $16.2 billion, is the holding company for Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association.  Established in 1888, Astoria Federal, with deposits in New York totaling $10.4 billion, is the largest thrift depository in New York and embraces its philosophy of "Putting people first" by providing the customers and local communities it serves with quality financial products and services through 85 convenient banking office locations and multiple delivery channels, including its enhanced website, www.astoriafederal.com.  Astoria Federal commands the fourth largest deposit market share in the attractive Long Island market, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties with a population exceeding that of 38 individual states.  Astoria Federal originates residential mortgage loans through its banking and loan production offices in New York, a broker network in four states, primarily along the East Coast, and through correspondent relationships covering nine states and the District of Columbia.  Astoria Federal also originates multi-family and commercial real estate loans, primarily on rent controlled and rent stabilized apartment buildings, located in New York City and the metropolitan area.

SOURCE Astoria Federal Savings