Congratulations to Aurora’s newest contributors, Matt Eich and Justin Maxon, who won student scholarships in the Alexia Foundation’s annual photography contest. Eich won a first place student scholarship for his proposal focusing on, “communities in Appalachia marginalized by poverty.” Maxon, who graduates from San Francisco State University in 2009, won second place for his proposal on, “The Yurok Tribe of Northern California… and issues that are threatening its survival.”

To see more Matt Eich photography coming soon.

To see more Justin Maxon photography click here.

Aurora photographer Jen Judge lands the March 2008 cover of National Geographic Adventure magazine, with her image of yoga practitioner, Lis Lilja, stretching into a backbend on Mesa Arch in Moab, Utah. Judge writes, “Starting at 4 a.m., Lis and I headed out for the ultimate yoga shots on Mesa Arch only to be told we needed a photo permit… After many hours talking to park officials about the legality of the photo, I was finally given the thumbs up. People are not allowed to climb or use gear on named arches, but since the general public has access and can walk effortlessly on Mesa, the shoot was green-lighted.”

To see more Jen Judge photography click here.

Aurora photographer Jen Judge’s portrait of award-winning author and climber Sam Lightner Jr. is featured inside the February/ March 2008 issue of Outside’s GO magazine. Judge comments, “I wanted to get a good shot of Sam’s four-foot-tall solid bronze Buddha, but its location in the house was dimly lit and not photogenic, so i moved it. Big mistake! When Sam returned home and saw that Buddha had been moved, he turned white as a sheet. Apparently there are strong Thai superstitions surrounding ghosts and ancient spirits and how to appease them. Long story short, Buddha migrated back to his home VERY quickly, and I had to make an offering to the spirits, which I had unintentionally seriously disturbed.”

To see more Jen Judge photography click here.

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This article features portraits of some of the smartest animals in the wild. Vince traveled around the globe to photograph these “super stars of the animal cognition world,” spending hours conversing with and observing these incredible creatures.

To see more Vincent J. Musi photography click here.

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Aurora contributing photographer Todd Bigelow lands the cover of Time for Kids magazine, with his portrait of Avery Clayton. Clayton is working to launch an African American museum in Culver City, California. Bigelow comments that, “the shoot was a real challenge… at one point we ventured into a dark jail cell where Mr. Clayton told me of his plans to project a life-size hologram of Dr. Martin Luther King reading a letter from the Birmingham jail.

To see more Todd Bigelow photography click here.

Aurora contributing photographer Steven Brahms captures the glamour at the Cipriani Halloween Ball in New York.

Aurora’s newest contributor, Justin Maxon, wins first place in the Daily Life category of the World Press Photo contest. Maxon’s winning image depicts Pha, and his mother, Mui, as they help each other bathe in the Red River in Hanoi, Vietnam. “Mui said she knows how hard Pha’s life is and keeping him clean is something she can do to make his life easier.”

Aurora contributor PatitucciPhoto’s image of two people gazing at Aletschgletscher, the largest glacier in Switzerland, appears on the cover of Sierra Club Outings 2008 catalog.

To see more PatitucciPhoto photography click here.