Flickr fall-color photo contest winners and semi-finalists

In the foreground of Jane Wei's "Golden Autumn" photo, the fiery yellow tufts of leaves perch atop stark-white aspen trunks. Far in the background, the cold-blue snow-crusted peaks of Colorado's Kebler Pass offer a contrast to fall's changing colors on the mountains' slopes.

The amazing melange of vivid autumn hues and breathtaking scenery helped Wei's photo capture the top spot in the first joint Yahoo News and Flickr photography contest.

Said one of the contest's judges: "Jane's image is technically superb! The contrast of the brilliant fall colors against the deep blues of the impending winter presents this magnificent surreal landscape. Her composition pulls the viewer deep into the image and invites one to ponder what lies beyond the snow-capped mountains. Well done!"

Wei shared more about her photo: "This was my first time seeing fall color in Colorado. Driving 14-plus hours from San Diego to Colorado was not as hard as I thought. After I slept in the car for a couple of hours the first night, I was overwhelmed for the next seven days by the beauty of Colorado, whether it is the snow on the mountains, the aspens or running creeks. This particular shot captured the prime time of Colorado's colorful trees with the snowy mountains."

Our four runners-up were Bob Gundersen's "Beneath the Japanese Feather Maple," Barry Nardone's "Covered Up," William O'Shea's "River one," and Sairam Saravanan's "Fall House."

We received 1,138 photos from 586 entrants and saw some dazzling displays of fall foliage from across the globe. See all the entries in our Flickr group.

Wei won a $500 Visa gift card. The four runners-up each received a $100 Amazon.com gift card. They will all receive Flickr T-shirts. If you missed this contest, don't worry. We'll announce a second contest soon in our Yahoo News: Your Photos group on Flickr.

— Tim Skillern