"Its aggressively modernist, unromantic, un-retro quality makes it stand out from all the others. The striking graphics and tactility of the foreground walls are great. And the beautifully composed peeping-tom glimpse of an ambiguous scene within is exciting."

— Kurt Andersen, Host

“I love the realistically spaced-out expression on the kid's face, and the way the butterflies at first appear to be a design on the glass — but then on inspection, it seems they're inside it. Many of the submissions went for an old-time Surrealist look, and the contemporary color on this one is so fresh.”

— David Krasnow, Senior Editor

“I've always been drawn to abandoned structures and remnants of the past. Something about their presence invites exploration and intrigue, as if a place silently holds a story within its walls. This image brought that feeling to life, and the raven added a touch of mystery that made my choice easy!”

— Matt Leibowitz, Intern

“This submission is actually a GIF, and while the animation doesn’t show up, I find this compelling as a still image. I like the symmetry and the bizarreness and melancholy of the girl. The image also stood out from the others since it introduced a new character.”

— Leital Molad, Senior Producer

“Scanning through all the entries, my eye got so used to submissions that seemed to reference Surrealists like Magritte and Dali (and trippy album cover art) so it was refreshing to see this image using the workhorse of Western art: the Madonna and Child."

— Michele Siegel, Associate Producer

“Not long after submissions starting coming in, I was browsing through some of the photos and this one stopped me mid-scroll. It’s striking, needless to say, but what really intrigued me was the fact that the original elements that Jerry and Maggie provided were integrated in a clever, almost unrecognizable way.”

— Alana Harper, Production Assistant

“I was charmed by the way Mo sent up Shepard Fairey — and I enjoyed how he incorporated several elements into his composition, transforming them in the process. Plus, the jaunty angle really does give this fellow’s gaze an air of possibility.”

— Jenny Lawton, Producer

“I like the simplicity of the composition, the graffiti-esque sense of the superimposed masks, and the storyline conveyed by a family in masks. Villains? Vigilantes? Performers? And note the child. She is the only one un-masked, and the only one looking directly into the camera. [Insert metaphorical analysis of the masks we all wear here.]”

— John DeLore, Senior Broadcast Engineer

“Choosing a favorite might be the most difficult thing I do this week. There are so many measures of success, and so many people did exceptional work. I’m going with Colleen’s Deep Space Nine situation because it’s perfectly bizarre and immediately provoked a joyous, visceral reaction. So basically, personal bias.”

— Sean Rameswaram, Assistant Producer

“I was drawn to the patterns created by the artist in this submission. At first, I couldn’t figure out which elements were used (besides the butterfly, due to its bright color), but then I enlarged the image and realized the bird’s beak was used in repetition to create an almost hypnotic image. I love how the elements are used to create something entirely new.”

— Alena Kuczynski, Intern