“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” – Dorothea Lange

Over 40 years ago, our founder Brian Shortsleeve had the idea to create our Annual Photo Contest. As a photographer himself, he wanted to showcase not only the work of local photographers, but the memories made by those who live and visit the Cape & Islands throughout the pages of Cape Cod LIFE. Later, combined and rebranded with our Annual Best of Cape Cod & the Islands Readers’ Choice Awards, our Annual Photo Contest winners were to be displayed proudly alongside our “Best of” winners, with the Grand Prize winner celebrated on our June cover. 

In our July/August Photo Portfolio, a series that has been in every issue since 1979, we honor Brian’s dream, and a legacy that spans decades—one that will continue to flourish throughout the pages of this magazine because of you, our avid readers.  

We want to give a special thank you to our amazing community members who continue to enter our Annual Photo Contest year after year. To show our gratitude, we thought it would be fun to feature a few of our favorites from this years’ contest. Whether you’re a local wildlife photographer snapping a shot of a shorebird roaming for food along the water’s edge, a visitor capturing the essence of an iconic Cape & Islands location or a parent who documented their child experiencing that inexplicable Cape Cod magic for the first time—you are what gives life to this one-of-a-kind region.