News & Politics

October Photo Contest: Haunted

In honor of everyone’s favorite October holiday, we’re on the hunt for your spookiest pictures

Vincent Carney's photo of an empty room at the abandoned Henryton Hospital Center— originally submitted for April's architecture photo contest— directly inspired this month's contest.
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From trick-or-treating down Embassy Row to dance parties at the Black Cat, this city sure loves Halloween. To gear up for the big night, we’ve dubbed October’s photo contest “Haunted” in hopes of rounding up your most spooktacular photos of Washington. Black-and-white shots of the Exorcist stairs, abandoned houses, leafless trees in the dead of winter—go ahead, we dare you to scare us. 

Here’s how the contest works: Submissions will be accepted until noon on Thursday, October 21. Our judges will select the finalists, then we’ll open it up to you to select a favorite. The winner will be published in the December issue of The Washingtonian.

Photos—one per e-mail, please—should be sent to photocontest@washingtonian.com. Be sure to include the photographer’s name, phone number, e-mail address, and place of residence along with a sentence or two about the photo, where it was taken, and an explanation of why it fits the theme. You can submit as many photos as you’d like, but make sure each is 300 dpi and at least four-by-six inches. And remember, the photographer and the subject must be from the Washington area, which includes the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.

>> See a slide show of past winners

Our policy on photo rights: The photographer retains the copyright. However, because the photographer has submitted his or her photo to the contest, the magazine has the right to print the winning photograph in the current issue of the magazine and online as well as in any future issues as long as usage is related to the photo contest. The magazine also has the right to use the finalists online in relation to the photo contest.

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Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.