Support Us Button Widget
Culture

See the winner of our 2023 Picture of the Year contest

Elena G: The photo of the Quarry captures the crisp colors of the entourage with the full skyline in the background.

January 22, 2024 • 
Emily Shea-Owen, Cambridge Wrege
Looking down on blue water surrounded by multicolor leaves. You can see the Winston-Salem skyline in the background. There are blue skies with light clouds.

The Quarry

Photo submitted by Elena G.

Table of Contents
Winner: "The Quarry" by Elena G. (above)
Finalist: "After the Rain, the Stars Come Out"
Finalist: "Home in the Window"
Finalist: "Yoga in Bailey Park, Solar Flare with Stacks"
Finalist: "The Hydration Station"
Finalist: "Head in the Clouds, AFAS"
Finalist: "Cityscape from Quarry at Grant Park"

The votes are in for the WStoday 2023 Picture of the Year contest. Check out the finalists below, including the winner that you, our readers, voted for.

Winner: “The Quarry” by Elena G. (above)

We love how this photo captures the reflection of the trees and sky in the water at Grant Park. The colors are so crisp and you can see the skyline in the background. Elena’s photo came out on top with 27% votes.

Person walking away from the camera carrying an orange umbrella along a concrete path. Lights are strung between a building with windows on the left and a walkway on the right.

“After the Rain, the Stars Come Out”

Photo submitted by Ron P.

Finalist: “After the Rain, the Stars Come Out”

Who is behind that orange umbrella? We might never know, but we could gaze at this illuminated walk behind Bailey South and wonder for hours. Coming in second place, Larry D.'s photo earned 16% of the votes.

Perspective from inside a building with plants and jars sitting on a table. Outside the window are bare trees and a brick building and church with a turquoise steeple against dark blue skies.

“Home in the Window”

Photo submitted by Larry D.

Finalist: “Home in the Window”

We have the feeling of looking from the past into the present because the images outside this window in Old Salem are so crisp and familiar. The photo earned third place with 15% of votes.

A splitscreen on the left with people doing standing yoga poses in the grass with buildings in the background. A sunbeam is shining between two smoke stacks against a cloudy blue sky. On the right, an orange-hued photo with a smokestack on the left and a water tower on the right that looks as if the sun is setting.

“Yoga in Bailey Park, Solar Flare with Stacks” (left) and “The Hydration Station” (right)

Photos submitted by Wendy R., left, and Josh A., right

Finalist: “Yoga in Bailey Park, Solar Flare with Stacks”

We feel like we’re part of the community yoga class soaking up the sunlight. The colors are calming yet we can feel the energy of Bailey Park.

Finalist: “The Hydration Station”

We love how this orange-hued snapshot of two well-known Winston-Salem images evokes a sense of the city’s history.

Black and white of a mannequin bolted to the top of a building against clouds. The mannequin's body is dressed in a suit like it is running. The mannequin's arm holds a string that floats upward with a head attached like a balloon.

“Head in the Clouds, AFAS”

Photo submitted by Keith B.

Finalist: “Head in the Clouds, AFAS”

While “The Chase” mannequin is a permanent fixture atop Mission Pizza, the soft clouds and black-and-white photo quality make us contemplate the piece’s message more deeply.

WStoday_Cityscape from Quarry at Grant Park_Sarah H.

“Cityscape from Quarry at Grant Park”

Photo by Sarah H.

Finalist: “Cityscape from Quarry at Grant Park”

Talk about a view. We love the perspective that captures two iconic images of the city in one unique photo. This photo came in second with nearly 16% votes from our readers.