Congratulations to Mike O’Connor. His photograph “Khor Virap Monastery with Mt Ararat in the Background” selected by Michael Melford as the winning image for Vision Travel’s Photography Contest. He was presented with a $100 gift certificate to The Camera Store at the Though the Lens of Expedition Travel Photography Seminar.

Here is Mike O’Connor’s photo description:
“Khor Virap Monastery is located on a hillock near Pokr Vedi, a small Armenian village about 30 km south of Yerevan, the capital. It is situated only 100 metres away from the Turkish-Armenian border, which is sealed by barbed wire fencing and defended by military establishments that guard the troubled border zone. The monastery’s notability is attributed to the fact that St. Gregory was imprisoned there for 14 years, and subsequently became responsible for establishing Armenia as the first Christian nation in the world in the year 301 AD. Although Mount Ararat in the background presently lies across the border in Turkey, it remains one of the main national symbols of Armenia because it is considered a “holy mountain”, being the resting place of Noah’s Ark. Juxtaposing Khor Virap and Mount Ararat in the same photo serves to reunite the mountain with its historical home in Armenia.”