A special thanks to all of you who entered our “America the Beautiful” Photo Contest. It is obvious from the many spectacular entries we received that there are a lot of talented photographers out there! Congratulations to all of you!

Judging was conducted using a point system based upon composition, creativity, lighting, outstanding visual impact, subject relevance, and technical merit. Below you will find the Grand Prize Winner, along with the top three entries in each category. We hope you all enjoyed participating in this opportunity and we thank you for sharing your time, your talent, and your images with us. And the winners are . . .

Grand Prize: "Doorway to New Mexico" by Mark Katz

People Category
1st Place: "Forever Yours" by Robyn Terrell
2nd Place: "Barrel Racing Princess" by Kimber Wallwork-Heineman
3rd Place: "Just Whittling" by Peggy Patterson

Events Category
1st Place: "Wow" by Paul Gray
2nd Place: "Old Man Gloom" by Kimber Wallwork-Heineman
3rd Place: "A Soccer Picnic" by Ron Cindy

Travel Category
1st Place: "Morning Invitation" by James Reeder
2nd Place: "Fort Smith National Cemetery" by Dat Mai
3rd Place: "Autumn at the Dunes" by Bill Carroll

Macro Category
1st Place: "Working It" by Debra Boucher
2nd Place: "I Can Do This" by Paul Gray
3rd Place: "Bluebonnets" by Ron Cindy

Landscape Category
1st Place: "Colorado" by Al Trostman
2nd Place: "Roadside Reflection" by Terence Russell
3rd Place: "State Park Drive" by Mary Frazier

Click here to see Photo Contest 2009 specifications.