Congratulations to our Photographer of the Year, Chandler Hatch.

Congratulations to our overall runner up Eric Vithalani. The Winner in the "Landscape" category is Michael Mosure, Winner in the "Life on Water" category is Cole Allen. Winner of the Portrait category is Eric Vithalani and our Wedding Photographer of the Year is Terah Hoobler.  To all the talented photographers whose work has been selected for the 2025 Cape Fear Living Photographer of the Year Exhibition, we congratulate and commend you.

This year in particular saw an incredibly high standard of entries, with submissions that challenged, moved, and inspired us—each one a testament to the depth of talent within our creative community.

From sweeping coastal vistas to intimate portraits of place and light, the winning images tell stories only these photographers could see. Our Jurors, Photographer T.J. Drechsel, Editor-in-Chief Colleen Thompson, the Cape Fear Living Design Team, and a panel of sponsors evaluated each submission for its beauty and composition—but ultimately, it was the artist’s eye, their distinct point of view, and the diversity of their approach that set these photographs and selections apart.

Across all categories, color once again emerged as a unifying thread—how it shapes our experience of the coastal landscape and infuses familiar scenes with meaning and emotion. These images don’t just document where we live; they reveal it in ways that words cannot. Whether capturing a fleeting glance, the stillness of a bird, or the glow of Carolina light, the selected works invite us to see our surroundings—and ourselves—with fresh perspective.