Reader’s Digest, the popular magazine with an audience of over 19 million readers, just unveiled the grand-prize winner of its special “Your America” photo contest with the first reader-photographed cover in its 95 year history.
Selected from nearly 1,000 entries, the image of Christmas Meadows trail in Utah, photographed by Robin Phillips, was chosen as the grand-prize winner. Phillips told Reader’s Digest that he photographs the location partly in memory of his son, David, who died tragically at age 15 trying to rescue a Boy Scout expedition that had gotten lost in the Grand Canyon twenty-one years ago. In addition to the award winning photo appearing on the cover of the July/August issue, Robin Phillips received a $500 prize.
Phillips used to take his son to the Christmas Meadows trail, a location that “my grandfather and my father took me to fly-fish when I was a boy. I always took my sons here, and this summer, I will take my grandson.”
“We are very excited to unveil our first cover ever shot by a reader,” said Bruce Kelley, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer of Reader’s Digest. “It makes perfect sense because it came out of an open and free contest to pick the most exceptional, inspiring and powerful reader photography. This particular photo also has such a powerful American story behind it that fits with our special Your America issue, celebrating the proudest stories, images and heroes of our nation.”
The issue also includes images from the three runners-up:
SOURCE Reader’s Digest
