1st PLACE
Bluff Springs, Richard Larsson
"It was a very cold, late-night drive into the forest to photograph the frozen waterfall under the midnight stars. On this February evening, temperatures were below freezing. It was quite a dark and lonely night, with only the stars to keep me company.” —Richard Larsson
2nd PLACE
Milky Way in the Pecos Wilderness, Ben Chesebrough
"On the first of a two-day trek high in a New Mexico wilderness area, I arrived at an alpine lake as the sun set. I immediately appreciated the character of this gnarled stump on the lake shore, and watched it as the sunlight faded and the Milky Way rose overhead. The lights of nearby Santa Fe softly lit the passing clouds. A crisp and cool September night above 11,000 feet on a weekend of New Mexican adventure with grand views, grouse, elk, and battling bighorns—no other place for me!" —Ben Chesebrough
3rd PLACE
Monsoon Nights, Jaimie Murdock
“I shot this returning from the Kiwanis Cabin. We were hoping for a storm and some close bolts, but instead were treated to rolling fog and inversions across the Río Grande Valley, framing Albuquerque between the layers.” —Jaimie Murdock
HONORABLE MENTION
The Windmill Sentinel at Capulin, Anthony Crowley
"The image was taken just a couple of miles southwest of the small town of Capulin. My friend and I had spent the day photographing the vast grasslands between Raton and Folsom and then went in search of a Milky Way location. When we stumbled on this windmill and the dormant volcanic cone with perfect southerly alignment for the Milky Way we knew we had found our spot." —Anthony Crowley