Jefferson Memorial HDR, courtesy of Intiaz Rahim

Hope everyone had a great holiday / extended weekend. While everyone was digesting food and recovering from family visits, November snuck out the door. Welcome to December!

First off, we’ve got some exciting news for you! Today we’re kicking off our first-ever photo contest, and you’re all invited! Of course, I should explain the rules before just cutting you all loose…

The theme is “Holidays in DC” which means that yes, every photo submitted must reflect the holiday / winter season in our area.

• Photos must have been taken between November 27, 2008 and January 1, 2009.
• Photos must be from the DC Metropolitan area. Use inside the beltway as a rule of thumb, and keep in mind that the farther out the picture is geographically the more important it is that it reflect the uniqueness of the area.
• To submit, you’ll need to be a Flickr user. (Flickr accounts are free.) Tag your photo with “WLDC holiday 2008” and drop it into our Flickr pool. If you’re feeling internet-savvy, you can also link/post it in the thread we’ll have set up for the contest as well.
• Your photo must have a Creative Commons license. (Here’s how to change your license on your photos.)
• You can submit a maximum of FIVE photos for consideration.
• Oh, and for fairness, none of the WLDC authors are eligible for this contest.
• The winner and runner-up will be determined by a collective vote from all the WLDC authors. (We may post a few entries from time to time to promote the contest; this does not in any way construe any type of voting. All voting by the authors will be done after January 1.)

So – prizes. What’s a contest without prizes? A dull one. Don’t worry, we’ve got some sweet prizes. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $50 dinner gift certificate for Overwood as well as their choice between a family four-pack of tickets to the International Spy Museum OR one pair of tickets to a Nationals 2009 season game, with “Presidential Club” seats, including parking pass. (Date to be arranged with winner.)

The runner-up (is that “First Prize”?) will receive either the ISM or Nationals tickets, whichever the Grand Prize winner does not choose.

(Many thanks to Overwood, the International Spy Museum and the Bailey Law Group for the contributions!)

We’ll announce the winner the week of January 5th.

Questions? Ask in comments.

And to get you guys motivated, here’s some glimpses of what some of you did over the extended weekend. Enjoy!

NGA Light Sculpture, courtesy of Mr. T in DC

Multiplicity, courtesy of Rob Shenk

Day 52/365 – At the Roller Derby, courtesy of Kevin H.

Happy Holidays, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

Obelisk & Columns, courtesy of Rob Shenk

NMAH Black Friday Crowds, courtesy of Mr. T in DC

IMG_6138, courtesy of Et_phone_home

Old Town Tree, courtesy of Me

Ben H. Rome

Having lived in the DC area for ten years, Ben still loves to wander the city with his wife, shooting lots of photos and exploring all the latest exhibits and galleries. A certified hockey fanatic, he spends some time debating the Washington Capitals club with friends – but everyone knows of his three decade love affair with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A professional writer, gamer, photographer, and Lego enthusiast, Ben remains captivated by DC and doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.