SLIDESHOW: HAWAII Magazine’s 14th annual Photo Contest winners and finalists

Like the photo above as much as we do?

It’s the grand prize-winning entry of HAWAII Magazine’s 14th annual Photo Contest.

Last spring, we asked our HAWAII Magazine reader ohana to take an especially studied look at their favorite collection of islands. We scratched our traditional island-based categories (“Big Island,” “Kauai,” etc.) from the 2012 entry forms, opting instead to go with these four new categories: Outdoors, Culture, People, and Abstract.

In response, we received thousands of photos from across the United States and several other countries. The images captured everything from Hawaii’s ever-fascinating natural beauty and multifaceted people to intriguing “view askew” abstract takes on life in the Islands.

Our staff selected first- and second-place winners for each category as well as a grand-prize winner.

The best of the 2012 bunch? Congratulations to Christian Del Rosario of Garden Grove, Calif. We loved Christian’s evocative photo of a memorable morning on the waters edging the epic cliffs of Kauai’s Napali Coast. In his story behind the photo, Christian wrote:

“A morning boat tour on the Napali Coast capped our last day of a week’s vacation on Kauai. This particular morning was the most beautiful of all the days we were there.”

Christian’s reward for his winning photo? Airfare for two to Oahu from the nearest Alaska Airlines gateway city, plus a six-night stay the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Waikiki Beach Resort.

First-place prizes (one winner in each category) scored $100 in cash plus goodies from Lanikai Bath and Body, Oils of Aloha, and Hawaiian Bath & Body. Second-place prizes: $75 in cash along with the same goodies awarded to first-place winners.

All nine of the contest’s winning photos are featured in a slideshow that begins below. Check out HAWAII Magazine’s January/February 2013 issue for additional comments from winners about their photos.

A big mahalo nui loa from all of us at HAWAII Magazine to our very generous photo contest sponsors, and to the thousands of HAWAII readers and admirers of our Islands who entered this year’s competition! The first call for entries for our 15th annual photo contest will be announced in the May/June 2013 issue of HAWAII.

Now, we invite you to sit back and enjoy the slideshow below of our 14th annual photo contest prize-winning photos and finalist entries below. Here’s hoping it inspires you to enter this year’s contest.