Presenting the winner of the Tampa Bay Times Reader Photo of the Year poll

Every day in the Tampa Bay Times we publish a reader-submitted photo on the front page of the BayLink section. Every month we conduct a poll that lets you vote for your favorite reader photo. When we put all 12 monthly winners up in a poll recently, the photo that garnered the most votes was . . .

Bobcat kittens. Submitted by Patrick McMillan, Clearwater, FL. (Winner of the August 2016 Reader Photo of the Month poll.)

Here's what Patrick had to say about his photo: This was taken in a friend's backyard (that borders a woodland) in Lutz in the summer of 2016. There was actually a mom and three kittens that were playing around at the edge of the woodland.

Separately, we decided to ask one of our best nature photographers, Jim Damaske, to look at the same 12 photos and pick the one he liked the best. Here's what Jim had to say: "I liked 'Misty Morning.' [Submitted by Colin Ward of St. Petersburg, FL.] It was the only photo of the lot that made use of foreground and background, which set it apart from the rest."

Lastly, congratulations to all 12 winners from 2016, and thanks to everyone who submitted a photo to us for consideration.

To view our "best of" gallery for reader photos, please visit the Times image archive.

If you've taken a photo you would like us to consider publishing in the Times, please visit our photo submission page for details.

Tim Rozgonyi

Twitter: @timrozgonyi

e-mail: trozgonyi@tampabay.com