We Have a Winner!!!!

It’s the Photo of the Year!  We have a winner of the 9th Annual Rockaway Times Photo Contest. Congratulations to Tom Farley. Tom Farley’s skateboarder photo came out the winner, and Farley went home with a $500 grand prize, a smashing Rockaway Times sweatshirt, a front page feature and bragging rights for at least a year!

On Friday, August 25, at a reception on the outside deck of the Rockaway Times building, photographers who placed in the Top 30 gathered for the finals. A top 10 was named two weeks ago, and judges then had the almost impossible task of selecting the winner after narrowing it down to the Top 3! In addition to Farley, Don Riepe took second place for his photo of the flying oyster catcher, and Ken Wodzanowski took third for his photo of the winter surfer. Judges went back and forth between these three great photos, but Farley’s photo won the judges over.

The Rockaway Times Photo contest, with co-sponsors Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, NYC Parks, and NYC Ferry drew over a thousand photo entries when the contest first launched in February. After eleven judges narrowed it down to a Top 30, the photos were enlarged to poster –size and displayed on the boardwalk from Memorial Day weekend until last week. Another five, the Honorable Mentions, were also enlarged and placed at the ferry dock.

At the finals reception, the Top 30 and Honorable Mentions were given the opportunity to take their photos home and many took Rockaway Times t-shirts as congratulations. Those who still want to pick up their photos can do so at the Rockaway Times office at 114-04 Beach Channel Drive. It’s a great event and we look forward to 2024! Keep your eye out for great Rockaway shots and start snapping away.

Congratulations again to Tom Farley on his winning 2023 shot!