Announcing the Winners of the 2009 DCist Exposed Photography Show

As if picking the winning photographs for DCist Exposed over the last two years wasn't monumental enough of a task, you guys made it even tougher this year by turning out in record numbers. In our first year, we barely cracked 450 entries (and we were thrilled indeed), while in 2008, we reached over 550. This year more than 300 photographers submitted close to 800 images for us to sift through. Even with six judges, we had a hard time getting it down to just the photos listed below, but we can certainly say we had an amazing base to start from. If you have the time, it's worth going to Flickr and playing the slideshow of the whole pool, which runs just about two hours. (Maybe something to leave on the table and play when your out-of-town guests arrive this weekend?)

What made us settle on these 45 images? We chose images that—as six people familiar with this city—showed us a unique perspective. They captured moments where emotion jumped off the screen, often celebratory, but sometimes reflective or poignant. They were from photographers who woke up before dawn or stayed up very late while we slept comfortably, who looked up and down while the rest of us gazed on ahead, and who stood still and waited for the scene to come to them as we perhaps impatiently walked on. They show us in a new light the athletics, the music and arts, and, yes, sometimes even the monuments that Washington D.C. boasts so proudly.

Our winners should keep an eye on their email this evening, when we'll send them the pertinent details about printing and framing their work, and getting to the show on time. Our hosts at the Gallery at Flashpoint eagerly await the pieces of our exhibition, which will open to the public with a free reception on Friday, February 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. Read more information about Flashpoint after the jump. We're also bringing back the popular Emerge Exposed panel discussion this year, hosted by the Pink Line Project, on Tuesday, March 3. We'll announce more on that event soon.

A huge thank you to everyone for already making the 2009 Exposed bigger and better than ever. We hope you'll continue to submit your images daily to our regular Flickr pool, for use in our news posts and Photo of the Day. If you're wondering who all these people are behind the Flickr pseudonyms, check out a photographers' meet-up at Buffalo Billiards tomorrow starting at 6:30 p.m. I'll be there on the early side and will be happy to answer questions or just put a face to an oft-seen name.

Are you ready? Winners after the jump!

Logo by Lynne Venart; photo by Angela Kleis