Residents submitted nearly 100 photographs in the Issaquah and Sammamish Reporter’s first photo contest, showing their skills in pictures of animals, people and scenery. Winners in each category are:

Animals

Xing Du took first place with his photograph of a hummingbird in his backyard in 2011. “I took a lot of pictures about hummingbirds over the past two years, and I am so fascinated by these little birds. They look so elegant and beautiful.”

People

Debbie van Oosteren, of Issaquah, took her winning photograph in Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands on Nov. 26, 2012. “The sun was setting, but I couldn’t get the kids to go home. My daughter loves the swing and then I saw what a beautiful picture that was going to be: the playground, big trees, the huge electricity pole, the sunset and my daughter having fun in the swing!”

Scenery

Xing Du, of Sammamish, took this photograph during the record cold 2009 winter “when almost everything was frozen at Snoqualmie Falls.”

Xing Du also was selected the grand prize winner and will receive a one-night stay at the Salish Lodge and Spa (includes Country Breakfast for two), courtesy of the Salish Lodge and Spa. Van Oosteren will receive a two-hour, hands-on “mentoring” tutorial courtesy of New Era Photography of Issaquah, as will Xing Du for his second win.

Entries were judged by The Reporter staff and all photos will go into an online gallery to be shared with readers and in the newspaper throughout the year.

Residents focused their cameras on a wide-variety of subjects, from stunning scenery to whimsical looks at kids and animals. While the majority of entries were in color, some photographers concentrated on black-and-white pictures.

Though the contest has ended for this year, The Reporter welcomes readers’ photo submissions, which the paper will publish on an ongoing basis. Submissions should be emailed to news@issaquahreporter.com.

Below, top: Debbie van Oosteren: First Place in People category; Below, bottom: Xing Du: First Place in Scenery category