See the top 8 award-winning photos that best showed the ‘Essence of Bellingham’ in 2022
A robin on a mossy tree, the Lummi River estuary, a line of sailboats, a pink blossom, a mysterious woman on a bench, fog blanketing a forest, Lake Padden circled by snow and flood water running across an intersection — these are the images that define the essence of Bellingham in 2022.
The city of Bellingham announced its eight top award winners in the 17th annual “Essence of Bellingham” photo competition Wednesday, May 18.
Best of Show top honors went to Jeffrey Barclay’s “Robin,” showcasing a bird perched on a moss-covered tree illuminated in sunlight, according to a release from the city.
The competition, which is sponsored by the city of Bellingham and Whatcom Museum, was judged by representatives from each organization who weighed how well each photo entry captured the essence of Bellingham and the quality of each photo.
In addition to the eight award winners, 55 photos received best of category and honorable mention awards, according to the release, which added that there were 315 submissions this year.
Winning entries will be shown, along with winners from the past two years, at a public display in City Hall. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the displays of award winners from 2020 and 2021 were not shown until now.
The 2023 “Essence of Bellingham” competition has already begun and entries will be accepted until May 1, 2023.
In addition to Barclay’s “Robin,” the 2022 award winners include:
Best of Show second place
“Lummi River Estuary off Red River Rd”
By Vanessa Story
Best of Show third place
“All Lined Up”
By Allen Leaf
Best of Class (fifth to eighth grade)
“New Life”
By Samantha Sporn
Best of Class (ninth to 12th grade)
“Mystery Woman”
By Averi Evans
Best of Class (college)
“Subdued Fog”
By Tristan Jones
Best of Class (professional)
“Snowy Lake Padden”
By David Veatch
Climate Action Award
“Street Surfing”
By Rochelle Perry
