An issue with a view 

We thought last year was a record, but we should have known that a paltry 526 entries would soon be beat.

This year, in the 12th installment of New Times' annual Winning Images contest, office managers Michael Antonette and Katie Gray prepared invitations and watched as readers brought in 718 submissions. Maybe there are more photographers out there these days. Or maybe our new category--travel--brought in a fresh crop of film jockeys. Whatever the reason, there were contestants of all stripes: professionals and amateurs, men and women, young and old.

Four judges--under the watchful supervision of the paper's staff photographer, Steve E. Miller--sifted and sorted through the stacks of photos, casting a critical eye at kids and cats, waves and women, babies and butterflies and blue skies. Together, they narrowed the selections down to 56 winners in six categories, featured over the next several pages.

New Times co-owners Bob Rucker and Alex Zuniga helped put together a party to celebrate the winners, with food from Calago, wine from Sylvester's, and sponsorship from AdMinds and First Bank of San Luis Obispo.

Even if you missed the big event, you can still enjoy the photos. And stay tuned for next year. If the 12th annual Winning Images contest results are any indication, the 13th annual is going to be huge.

Click Here to view the photo context.

Editor Ryan Miller thinks a word is worth 1,000 pictures. E-mail comments to [email protected].