UPDATE: The winner for this month's contest is "Grad Gets Air" by Stefan Ventura. Look for it in the September issue of The Washingtonian. Thank you for your entries and your votes! 

Earlier this month, we asked for submissions for our first ever photo contest—and, boy, were we impressed by the response! More than 350 photos later, we narrowed it down to our five favorites (we know, we know—we said we'd keep it to three finalists, but there were just too many good ones to choose from!)

Now we need your help in deciding who should be crowned the winner. Scroll down to see the finalists and take a poll at the bottom of the page to cast your vote. If you have something to say about one of the photos, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section.

The winning photograph will run in our September issue, and the winner will also receive a snazzy seven-inch digital picture frame to show off his or her work. A big thanks to Lee Odess at Integrated Media Systems in Sterling for offering the prize.

Good luck to our finalists, and happy voting, readers! 

Only five finalists made the cut, but there were several other photos that came close. Wanna see 'em? Click here to see our runners up.

Happy Thursday! To celebrate, we've got the weekend picks for you. Plan your weekend now—there's plenty going on. 

Today is your last chance to vote in our first-ever photo contest. We've received thousands upon thousands of votes—make sure yours get counted! And stay tuned for the announcement of our next photo contest, coming soon.

The American History Museum is set to reopen in November. 

Velvet in Dupont, one of our first Blogger Beat interviewees, has a new installment in what she's learned about dating. 

Gone Out DC reports on a delicious-sounding happy hour at Mandu. 

Why did publisher Katharine Weymouth go outside the Washington Post and tap Marcus Brauchli to replace veteran executive editor Len Downie?

One reason: No one from inside the Post establishment could stomach the changes Brauchli will have to make.

“He will have to blow up the structure,” says a Post reporter who took the recent buyout. “It’s a culture that doesn’t want to change.”

Says a former editor: “The assistant managing editors consider themselves barons with their own castles. He will have to knock those walls down.”

And build bridges across the Potomac to the Post’s digital newsroom in Arlington.

Brauchli takes over in September. Here are five things he might do to succeed:

Em Hall posing with a mannequin at the Goodwill store on South Dakota Avenue.

Em Hall, better known as the DC Goodwill Fashionista, came to Washington three years ago after migrating from the Midwest. She says she had one suitcase and no job but a dream of making an impact on the nonprofit community. Her first stop was Goodwill, where she volunteered before being hired full-time.

The DC Goodwill Fashion Blog, which started nearly a year ago, is run as part of Goodwill of Greater Washington. Its goal is to reach an audience of young, style-conscious blog readers and get them involved in the work and mission of Goodwill. So far, about 1,500 readers each week visit the Fashionista’s site for vintage- and contemporary-shopping tips and trend alerts.

The DCGF—as she’s known—is 28 and works full-time as the retail marketing manager at Goodwill. We caught up with her by e-mail to find out her favorite—and least favorite—summer-fashion trends, the best tips for thrift-shop virgins, and whether she prefers heels or flats (hint: it’s neither!).

What is dating in DC really like? For a new regular feature, Washingtonian.com is looking for area residents who are willing to share their dating adventures over the course of the next several months. If you’re willing to dish about your dates on a regular basis (and maybe take some dating challenges along the way!) we want to hear from you. Look below to see the application. E-mail your answers to datingdiaries@washingtonian.com with the subject “Dating Diaries Application,” and we’ll be in touch.

Photograph by Matthew Worden

How much is Dana Milbank banking away?

Profits may be down, but don’t cry for the ink-stained wretches at the Washington Post: According to figures released by the newspaper guild in preparation for upcoming contract talks, 157 of the paper’s 490 salaried, full-time newsroom employees make more than $100,000. The bulk of the staffers—250—take in between $60,000 and $100,000.

The union did not attach names to salaries, so the Post newsroom was left guessing about the three of their brethren making more than $230,000, listed only as “reporter, bureau chief or columnist.”

Several big names who make good money took the recent buyout and work on contract: David Broder, Tom Shales, and Al Kamen are off the guild list.

Among the likely high-priced suspects—based on star wattage and how recently they have been wooed by another publication—are sportswriters Mike Wilbon, Tom Boswell, and Sally Jenkins; columnists Gene Robinson and Richard Cohen; essayist and video blogger Dana Milbank; fashion critic Robin Givhan; and Pulitzer winner Dana Priest.