SANTA FE — New Mexico Magazine recently announced the winners of its 23rd Annual Photos of the Year Contest, with this year’s selection showcasing New Mexico’s diverse peoples and beautiful places.  

Over 400 photographers submitted more than 1,800 images from which judges selected 20 winning photographs and eight honorable mentions. Categories included grand prize, people’s choice, landscapes, nightscapes, people, animals, New Mexico experience, and phone photography.  

Rio Rancho resident Pam Dorner was awarded the grand prize for her image, Golden Feather, of a great-horned owl in-flight with feathers backlit by the setting sun. Cosetta Lewis’s Folklorico, a portrait of her daughter Sophia dressed in traditional attire, garnered more than 125 votes to win the People’s Choice Award. Four photographers won in more than one category: Ben Chesebrough, Pam Dorner, Richard Larsson, and David Turning.  

Thanks to the generosity of Photos of the Year sponsors, winners received prizes provided by Bosque Brewing/Restoration Pizza, Hatch Chile Store, Wayne Suggs Photography, and World Balloon. La Fonda on the Plaza provided the grand prize.  

For the eighth consecutive year, Tularosa Basin Gallery of Photography will exhibit the Photos of the Year, with opening weekend taking place January 26–28, 2024. The Carrizozo gallery is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, or by appointment.  

To view and read about the 23rd Annual Photos of the Year, visit NewMexicoMagazine.org here or acquire a copy of the New Mexico Magazine January/February 2024 print issue, available at local newsstands. 

New Mexico Magazine will announce the next Annual Photos of the Year Contest in July 2024 on NewMexicoMagazine.org.