Why David's Photo Earns 1st Place: David's photo entry was—by far—our judges' favorite in the batch for 2014. The Passages book series tells an incredible series of stories, and this entry tells a story as well. When we judge entries, we're looking for something that stops and makes us think. Creativity is key, and David basically makes the viewer feel as if they're looking down at the desk of a mad man who learned about the existence of the world of Marus and is doing everything he can to locate it. The attention to detail in this entry caught our eye, right down to the very news clippings referencing aspects of the six books. The map of Marus and Post-It notes intermingled throughout the copy of The Official Guide (turned, of course, to the Passages section), also impressed us. David's photo entry does a fantastic job of making people think about the piece and stop to appreciate the detail that went into the scene. In essence, the Passages books are a big mystery, and David successfully captured that in his photo. Congratulations, David!