dgh_va's great Dream Trip entry

Recently, Condé Nast Traveler 2008 Dream Trip entrant dgh_va wrote in with this question:

I had aspirations that my August photo South Pacific Dream would be a finalist this year; it wasn't meant to be I guess.  Just so I know the process for future entries, do you look at every photo or is the viewing pool based on random criteria? Or is it, perhaps, based on the number of comments and ratings by viewers?  I love your magazine and website--I'm an avid reader and user.  Thanks, and keep up the great work.

Let us start by saying your photograph is beautiful. It deserves the comments cntraveler.com users have given it.

Competition was tough this year: We received around 40,000 entries, many of them great (and yes, we look at each and every one). The judges had a tough job! Specifically in August, too, we had some really fine submissions. Another thing to keep in mind is that we weigh photo and text equally. 

Hopefully this helps demystify the process a bit. And hopefully you continue to submit so that we continue to see your great images. Good luck, dgh_va!

Further reading:
* Look at dgh_va's awesome entry
* This year's Dream Trip finalists are better than ever
* Check out last year's winner