Usually in this space, I do the opening-flourish shuffle to introduce the issue’s feature package with a bunch of hypertrophic, overheated prose. I was going to do that this month, too, but then I realized that I’d only be telling part of the story. But, yes, first, for protocol’s sake: Feast your eyes on the winners of our sixth annual Focus on Nevada photo contest on p. 42! It’s a showcase of what is unleashed when amazing photographers encounter and interpret Nevada’s stunning visual richness. Your average smartphone shutterbug (*raises hand*) has a passable enough instinct for the picturesque. But what these winning photographers unlock are the stories — dramatic, poignant, humorous — that reside in our desert vistas and glittering cityscapes. Congratulations to all the winners.
But, again, only part of the story. In the six years we’ve been doing this contest, it’s become an institution, and not just in the magazine. The moving parts that we’ve lathed and greased over the years have developed “Focus on Nevada” into more than a contest and photo feature. It’s become a series of intramaural community events. For example, the judges we conscript from all over Las Vegas come into the Nevada Public Radio office for a live judging — which turns into a buzzy thing in itself, part private photo exhibition, part symposium where Las Vegans from disparate worlds of design, photography, politics, industry, and culture connect and converse. The awards and showcase bash is more than a party; it’s a vivified feature story where diverse visions of Nevada effervescently yin and yang around each other. Even the stream of endearingly excited/worried emails and calls we get in the run-up — Did you get my photos? Did getting an invite mean I won? When will I know because the anticipation is killing me?!! — I consider part of the Focus on Nevada meta-phenom. It’s all immensely gratifying to see — not just for the eyes, but for the entire spirit.