The winning entries in a photo contest sponsored by Presbyterians Today will be published in the magazine’s upcoming June/July issue.

Those entering the contest were asked to submit photos inspired by the theme of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s 2010 General Assembly: "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

The top photos were chosen from a field of 38 submissions. The winning photographers:

  • First Place — Robert T. Cassell, of Valencia, Calif., interim ministry specialist in Los Ranchos Presbytery, for his photo showing a stream and signs of new life following one of California’s devastating fires in 2009.
  • Second Place — Carol Eastman, member of University Presbyterian Church, El Paso, Texas, for her photo showing a young member of the Anapra Community Children Gardeners using water to grow healthy food along the Rio Grande in New Mexico.
  • Third Place — Jim Nardone, member of Trinity United Methodist Church, Columbus, Ohio (invited to enter by his neighbor, Presbyterian minister Tom Martin), for his photo of a waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
  • Honorable Mentions — Dwight K. Morita, member of Sunnyvale (Calif.) Presbyterian Church; Nancy Diana, elder at Priest Lake Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tenn.; James Braswell, stated supply pastor of Concord Presbyterian Church, Sumter, S.C.

Judges for the contest included Dennis Crews, a professional photographer in Jeffersonville, Ind., who has done extensive work for Seventh-day Adventist Church publications; Randy Hobson, manager of web services for the PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly; and the Presbyterians Today staff.

Each photo submitted was judged on its effectiveness, impact and creativity in capturing the contest theme. Other criteria included originality, technical quality and craft of execution, and artistic elements such as composition, layout, framing and use of color.

Presbyterians Today is the general-interest magazine of the PC(USA), published 10 times a year by the denomination's General Assembly Mission Council. For more information visit the Presbyterians Today website.