Visit Benicia Photo Contest winners announced

Galen Kusic, Editor

Corrine Bailey won the grand prize of $250 Downtown Dollars with her “First Street Pier Pre-Dawn” photo.

This year’s Visit Benicia Photo Contest ran all of 2018, as photographers of all backgrounds and experience levels were encouraged to enter their striking digital images, showcasing the Benicia experience. During the last photo contest in 2016, there were a total of 177 entries. In the 2018 contest, the entries nearly doubled with 345.

Winners of the categories included:

Grand Prize Winner: Corinne Bailey for First Street Pier Pre-Dawn

History – Historic sites and buildings in Benicia (29 entries)

Evan Garfield – 1^st Place, Rise of the Super Moon

Gary Cullen – 2^nd Place, Sister Mary/St. Dominic Cemetery

Evan Garfield earned first place in the history category with “Rise of the Super Moon” at the Benicia State Capitol.

Arts – Art, public art and art events in Benicians (11 entries)

Gary Cullen – 1^st Place, Blowing Glass

Rejina Christopher – 2^nd Place, Light Harp

Shopping/Dining – Highlight the special shopping and dining available in Benicia (26 entries)

Lee Ann Baker – 1^st Place, Shops at Night

Marnix van Ammers – 2^nd Place, Old Train Depot in the Morning

Gary Cullen won first place in the art category for “Blowing Glass” and second place in the history category.

Scenic/Fun – Highlight the beautiful scenery and fun activities in Benicia (279 entries)

Angeline Munoz – 1^st Place, Spring Flowers at First Street Pier

Matthew Powers – 2^nd Place, Benicia Architecture

The winners of the contest receive Downtown Dollars, which include $50 for each second place category, $100 for each first place category, and $250 for the overall grand prize. Downtown Dollars are good at over 70 Benicia locations.

The contest ended on Dec. 31, 2018 and all rights to the images belong to Visit Benicia. The judging was a long process with so many entries this year. Once some of the images were narrowed down to finalists, city staff did blind judging to ensure fair results.

Angeline Munoz took home first place in the scenic/fun category for her “Spring Flowers at First Street Pier.”

The City’s Tourism Committee did the final judging in all categories. Winning photos will soon be displayed in a case outside City Manager Lorie Tinfow’s office. Images will also be used on social media to promote the city.

There is currently a survey from Visit Benicia on “What do you LOVE about Benicia?” It will be open through Thursday, Feb. 28.