Contest update

OK, gang, the entry period for the September contest, with the theme "My Neighborhood", ended at midnight last night, and we have 106 photos (I'll finish posting the stragglers later today). A few more that were added at the last minute to brand-new Flickr accounts may take a day or two to show up.

Because so many people complained that it is too difficult to fairly assess each photo when you have dozens and dozens to review, this evening, Globe assistant photo editor John Blanding will help me cull the entries down to the 50 best photos for voting.

We'll then take a day or two to make sure all of those 50 make it into the Voting Machine, oil the gears, and open voting Friday or Monday.

Meanwhile, voting for the October theme has ended as well, and the winner is ... Up Close, with 30% of the vote. Motion was second with 26%, followed by Silhouettes, 21%; Curves, 12%, and The Color Purple, 11%.

We'll open entries for the October contest soon and set up another poll for November. Thanks to all who submitted neighborhood photos -- and thanks as well for all of your suggestions. I can't tell you how much I appreciate how much you're helping improve this site every week.