March Photo Contest: Only in Washington

NOTE: Voting in this month's photo contest is now closed; scroll down to see the winner. The theme for next month's contest and how to enter has been announced here.

This month, we asked for photos of people, places, and things you could find only in Washington. Readers flooded our in-box with 260 interpretations.

Our team of judges picked the top five photos, but we need you to decide the winner. Scroll down to see the finalists, then take the poll at the bottom of the page to vote for your favorite. Reader voting will close on Tuesday, March 31, at noon. The photo with the most votes at that time will be declared the winner, and it’ll run in the May issue of The Washingtonian.

Remember, it’s only one vote per person, so choose wisely. And please, we ask that you play fair. If we see what seem to be irregularities in voting for a particular photograph, we reserve the right to disqualify it.

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

We selected only five finalists, but several other photos caught our eye. Click here to see the runners-up. You can also see all our past photo-contest winners here.

“Election Night” by Amanda K. Gilley of Silver Spring

This photo was snapped late at night last November when Barack Obama won the election. The photographer writes, “Hundreds crowded the streets to share in the joy.”

“Zombie Bride” by Brian W. Knight of Springfield

The photographer describes his photo best: “Is it the apocalypse? A lone zombie bride plods towards the Washington Monument. Every autumn, zombies descend upon the Mall for dancing and merriment. And Brainzzzzz . . .”

“Ben’s Chili Bowl” by Daria Cristel Grayer of Washington

Writes the photographer, “Only in Washington, DC, can you get Ben’s infamous, overloaded chili dog and chili fries at 4 AM.”

“Marine One” by David B. King of Washington

While watching Washington’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, the photographer says he spotted the tell-tale triumvirate of helicopters—which means the president is on board one of them—and quickly headed to the south lawn to shoot the chopper’s landing.