A few months ago, I submitted ten entries into the prestigious Nikon International Photo Contest. "The Nikon Photo Contest International has been held by Nikon since 1969 to provide an opportunity for photographers from around the world to communicate and to enrich photographic culture for professionals and amateurs alike."

​On April 2, 2013, the judges narrowed all of the international entries down to 97,974 photographs in the First Round of the competition:

I was pleased that all ten of my entries made it through the First Round of the competition:

On June 7, 2013, Nikon narrowed the field to the top 3,159 photographs (eliminating nearly 97% of the First Round photographs). Fortunately, one of my photographs, "Whimsical Staircase" survived the cut:

The Second Round voting will conclude on June 27, 2013. For now, I'm still alive!