Our fifth annual photo contest was our noisiest yet: Whoa. Oh! Nice. Wow! Hm! Whaaat?! Those are just a few of the exclamations from our judges who came to the Desert Companion offices to help us select the best of the 1,109 photos submitted this year. It wasn’t easy, but (wow!) was it ever fun — a sort of exhilarating wormhole ride through the collective optic nerve of Nevada’s most avid and creative photographers. The pages that follow feature the best. The subjects range from people to pets to panoramic landscapes, but each photo offers a fresh perspective on the place we call home.
JudgesMark Andrews, Clark County Credit Union
Cedric Crear, Crear Creative Group
Dwayne Eshenbaugh, Novus Architecture
Justin Favela, artist
Roni Fields-Moonen, food stylist
Ally Haynes-Hamblen, Office of Cultural Affairs
Brent Holmes, Desert Companion
Bruce Isaacson, poet
Eric Kabik, photographer
Randy Lavigne, AIA Las Vegas
Erica Vital-Lazare, College of Southern Nevada
Alexandria Le, Notes With a Purpose
Scott Lien, Desert Companion
Myron Martin, The Smith Center
Rick Moonen, chef
Ann Marie Pereth, A Public Fit Theatre Company
Kristen Peterson, arts journalist
Tina Quigley, Regional Transportation Commission
Ryan Reason, Square Shooting
Donovan Resh, Nevada Public Radio
Eric Roberts, SH Architecture
Flo Rogers, Nevada Public Radio
Joshua wolf Shenk, Black Mountain Institute
Christopher Smith, Desert Companion
Bruce Spotleson, Vegas PBS
Armand Thomas, Cirque Du Soleil
Tarissa Tiberti, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
Nancy Uscher, UNLV College of Fine Arts
Todd VonBastiaans, ALIOS
Tifferney White, Discovery Children’s Museum
1 of 27
Places/architecture
1st Place, Mike Wetzel, Semi-Professional
2 of 27
Places/architecture
2nd Place, Sue Beauchamp, Amateur/Student
3 of 27
Places/architecture
Honorable Mention, Kristen Clarke, Amateur/Student
4 of 27
Artistic/abstract
1st Place, Matt Kuehl, Semi-Professional
5 of 27
Artistic/abstract
2nd Place, John Davis, Amateur/Student
6 of 27
Artistic/abstract
Honorable Mention, Evan Mohr, Amateur/Student
7 of 27
In the Moment
1st Place, Will D'Angelo, Semi-Professional
8 of 27
In the Moment
2nd Place, Natalia Prudinkova, Amateur/Student
9 of 27
In the Moment
Honorable Mention, Jason Ogulnik, Professional
10 of 27
Nevada at Work & Play
1st Place, Jonathan Boarini, Amateur/Student
11 of 27
Nevada at Work & Play
2nd Place, Tim Salaz, Professional
12 of 27
Nevada at Work & Play
Honorable Mention, Mike Cowan, Semi-Professional
13 of 27
Landscape
1st Place, Homer Liwag, Amateur/Student
14 of 27
Landscape
2nd Place, Dave Harrison, Amateur/Student
15 of 27
Landscape
Honorable Mention, Juan Deleon, Semi-Professional
16 of 27
Plants & Animals
1st Place, Eric Wright, Semi-Professional
17 of 27
Plants & Animals
2nd Place, Conrad Basilio, Semi-Professional
18 of 27
Plants & Animals
Honorable Mention, Matt Kuehl, Semi-Professional
19 of 27
Viva La Selfie
1st Place, Robert Bellman, Amateur/Student
20 of 27
Viva La Selfie
2nd Place, Ka Law, Amateur/Student
21 of 27
Viva La Selfie
Honorable Mention, Hugh Byrne, Amateur/Student
22 of 27
Honorable Mention
Nevada at Work & Play, Jason Ogulnik, Professional
23 of 27
Honorable Mention
Nevada at Work & Play, Emily Wilson, Professional
24 of 27
Honorable Mention
In the Moment, Alex Canonizado, Professional
25 of 27
Honorable Mention
Landscape, Mike Wetzel, Semi-Professional
26 of 27
Honorable Mention
Places & Architecture, Orville Wiemers, Amateur/Student
27 of 27
Artistic/abstract
Honorable Mention, Armin Bravo, Professional
