Gilded and debossed in gold leaf, American Photography28 befits the Olympic year in which it was produced with photographers reaching their highest mark of visual excellence. American Photography28 presents Erwin Olaf on the cover of this year's collection of the best 323 pictures as selected by a jury from over 8,000 submissions to the annual competition. This year's jury of photo, art and design experts included: Bill Black, Reader's Digest; Scott Hall, Newsweek; Nathalie Kirsheh, Details; Whitney Lawson, Travel + Leisure; Joanna Milter, The New York Times Magazine; Paul Moakley, Time; and Zana Woods, Wired. American Photography28, known as "the book of record" by top photographers and editors, includes pictures that cover the most talked about events from the year 2011, including: the Arab Spring uprising in the Middle East; the tsunami in Japan; the Metropolitan Museum of Art's blockbuster exhibit of fashion designer Alexander McQueen; the Shuttle Endeavor's last space launch; the Occupy Wall Street movement; and the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Also included are photos that became news and trends themselves, such as Chris Buck's infamous portrait of congresswoman Michele Bachmann for the cover of Newsweek; still shots from the film The Queen of Versaillesby Lauren Greenfield; and Instragram iPhone shots from Afghanistan and Libya by Benjamin Lowy for GQ.