December 2024: Cover Search Winners

Every year since 2018, New Jersey Monthly, in partnership with Unique Photo, has hosted a search to find one photo to grace the cover of the December issue.

To determine our grand-prize winner, as well as a host of other winning photographs, images are judged by a panel of experts in the field, as well as representatives from New Jersey Monthly and Unique, on originality, technical excellence, composition, artistic merit and life in New Jersey.

This year’s grand prize winner, Flock of Seagulls, was taken by Kathleen Bence on the beach in Avalon. It is just stunning. Inside the feature, you'll also see our runner-up, plus 10 awards of excellence, a student winner, a readers’ choice pick (voted on by the public), and 25 honorable mentions. Each winning photo is accompanied by a story about the image and the photographer.