'The Color Yellow' contest winners

The color yellow commands attention, both in nature and on man-made objects.

Watching the Euro soccer tournament, I noticed that the warning cards are yellow. Yield signs, police crime tape, and school buses are yellow. Lance Armstrong is being accused of doping during his Tour de France races, in which he wore the leader's shirt, a bright yellow, many times.

In nature, the stamens and pistils of a flower are often yellow to attract those pollinating -- and yellow -- bumblebees. Autumn leaves turn yellow. Many flowers and fruits are yellow. And of course, there's our glorious sun.

So you had a fun challenge in the 'Yellow' contest. And our judge John Blanding, assistant chief photographer for the Globe, had just as much fun choosing the winners. Here's what he said:

"My choices are totally subjective, of course, but given the theme, it's the yellowness of the image that has to make the picture interesting. Some of the photos had yellow as an element, but that element just as easily could have been pink or green; the photo wasn’t dependent on the color yellow to be a good photo. The photo should ooze yellow. Sometimes complementary colors helped to emphasize the yellow.

"The 10 finalists maximized the color yellow in their images. These finalists also reflect a variety of approaches and subjects, which I like. Congratulations to all."

FIRST PLACE - $100

The sparkle of the yellow is what makes the picture. The dark background, combined with the tiny bits of green and red, really set off the yellow. It's also a very nice pattern. It’s the kind of picture you could live with on your wall.

SECOND PLACE - $50

This is just a cool picture: Vintage yellow car, yellow surfboard, yellow steering wheel … it’s simply fun to look at. You almost have to wonder what the driver would be wearing! The blue of the sky and water, as well as the whites of the roof and tires are complementary colors that help to emphasize the yellow.

Even though the yellowness is what makes this picture, this is one image that would be interesting to look at in black and white as well. Well done.

THIRD PLACE - $25

I certainly hope this wasn’t a tunnel in active use; it’s not worth getting run over for a picture! Graphically, this is striking. The symmetry of this photo – the straight lines on the bottom offset with the yellow lights at the top and the yellow walls -- is what made this photo a winner for me.

See all Top 10 winners and the complete field of entries here.