Washington, DC—The winners of the second annual National Cherry Blossom photo contest, produced by FotoDC and the Festival, were selected from more than 2,000 entries; Andrea Riesenfeld won Best in Show with a mobile phone image. The photos highlight the National Cherry Blossom Festival, including a vintage category to mark the 100-year anniversary of the gift of trees.
A distinguished panel of judges chose the winners, who receive cash prizes, online exposure at FotoDC.org, nationalcherryblossomfestival.org, and are displayed in the interior concourse that connects the Crystal City Metro to countless office and residential buildings as well as the Crystal City Shops.
For their action-filled images of the festival, Janelle Fernandez, Jane Cave and Anne Hollande Ullerup took first, second and third place, respectively. Showcasing the beauty of the cherry trees and blossoms, Joann Bushay took first place in the landscape category, followed by JP Benante and Mathhew Rakola in second and third place.
For images showing crowds or individuals enjoying the cherry blossoms, Darren Barnes received first place, and second and third place went to Oliver Devine and Jacquelyn Martin. The vintage category asked photographers to submit images taken from 1930-1999. Joseph Woida took first place with a photo submitted by William Cooper; Dixie Earl Shelton, Jr.,’s photo submitted by Angelique Glass took second, and a photo by Edward Camp submitted by Kathleen Blair took third place. Travis Jay Brown was the People's Choice winner.
FotoDC is a nonprofit organization that has evolved from a city-centric photography festival to a multi-season tribute to photography in all its forms. FotoDC’s primary focus is to provide exposure for photographers and to make diverse, high-quality photography accessible to audiences through the exhibition of inspiring and provocative images, dynamic programming and collaborations with the local and international community. FotoWeek DC continues to play a central role in FotoDC programming, with its annual festival in November. fotoDC.org
