Summer is ending, but these winning photos offer one last taste of the season. Readers submitted nearly 1,300 shots of their travels across the globe to our Your Best Summer Vacation Photos of 2012 Contest. It was a pleasure to sift through stunning shots of all the summertime fun (though difficult to pick just one winner).

Congratulations to reader maphillips, who walked away with a $500 gift card from BedandBreakfast.com for her fabulous photo "Beach Kids." We'd also like to congratulate our 10 honorable mentions, whose photos follow, and all of our readers for submitting their picture-perfect memories.

Here's the backstory of the winning photo, courtesy of maphillips:

"Summer was ending soon and we decided to visit Comox, British Columbia, Canada. Our children were making a child's interpretation of 'crab cakes.' When the crab cake was finally completed, our three-year-old son threw his arms up in the air in celebration and their father captured the moment."