Results
First of all, thank you everyone for your submissions, it's great to see such a big turnout
Next I feel the need to sincerely apologize to all the participants. It became obvious to me very early into the contest, that I should have defined the topic more precisely. To me it seemed more or less straightforward, but in retrospect there is a lot more I could have said about the topic. Golden hour (for me) is the time of the day, when the sun is shining golden light onto everything surrounding us. Shadows become longer, light is not strong enough to create very high contrasts (which cameras usually can't capture), the color temperature of the light also changes, it becomes warmer. This light is what gives the golden hour its name, golden. I usually associate sunsets with colours red or pink/purple.
Since the Wikipedia page I linked to includes reference to different definitions of golden hour (which I didn't notice at the time of my post) I'll blame me for a lack of a more clear definition and won't judge photos (that don't fall into my original idea for the topic) with prejudice.
Having said all that, let's get to the critique part. Starting with sunsets, photos of sunsets work particularly well when there is a clear subject or focal point to anchor the photo. It can be a silhouette or an illuminated subject, but there should be something besides a pretty sky. The following photos would benefit from having a stronger focal point:
As far as the rest of the submissions go, let's look at them one by one.
Awesome photo. You beautifully caught the golden light on the monument, weather was working as much as possible in your favor, you got a photo of a lifetime here.
You got this shot at the right time of the day. The empty sky doesn't help and the framing seems a bit too tight for my liking.
Beautiful shot! It's not easy to make shooting into the sun work, but this one does. The clouds are engaging, the mist adds some mistique and separation to the bottom part of the frame and the sun provides us with a clear resting point for the eye, even the flare seems to fit.
Even though the pumpkins look delicious I don't see a focal point. Maybe a bottle somewhere in there would help, a green bottle of pumpkin oil perhaps, alas the image doesn't catch my interest.
Beautiful light pouring in from the left, people providing a point of interest for the eye. Maybe there is a bit too much sky on the top, but overall a photo that works.
You caught a great sky here, I love the horizontal lines, the boat provides a very interesting subject. Hopefully you have cleaned your sensor by now
The flag would have been a nice subject, but it doesn't work this close to the center. This composition is too centered and the cut tree on the left side is distracting. Maybe a crop from the left bottom would help move the point of interest more towards one intersection of the thirds.
Very nice clouds, beautiful colours. The group of palm trees is a focal point but it's just not positioned well in the frame. It's kind of marginalized. Is it just me, or does the ocean have kind of a dent in the center, maybe some lens distortion at work here?
The sun would work as a focal point, but it's too small and too much in the center. The clouds are nice, but what I don't like about this photo is the split right down the center.
Even though the shadow looks very interesting and the climber works as a subject the image as a whole doesn't work for me. Too much shadow makes it too dark overall.
Beautiful cityscape! You managed to catch the perfect balance of artificial and natural light during the blue period of the day. It makes me wonder though, does it need to be so wide? It doesn't gain anything from the vacant part at the far right. It might work better if you crop it from the right side and a bit from the left, putting the tower at the thirds.
Very catching sky, the really distinct cloud is a nice subject, its shadow helps set it off, the eyes rest where the sun rays are coming through. The tilted horizon is distracting though.
Although the seagulls are cute taking their morning stroll (with their long shadows), the perspective seems wrong. I would prefer to see them from much lower down, from their level. And the sun is on the wrong side, might be worthwhile trying to take this shot at the opposite golden hour of the day.
Beautiful sunset photo! The catamaran is a very fitting subject, moving in the right direction, not too dark, the seagull adds a nice touch, exposure is spot on, if only the horizon was perfectly horizontal
Another very nice sunset shot! Clouds provide a nice fill on the sky, shadowing the sun just enough to make it interesting. Unfortunately the paraglider is too low and is being intersected awkwardly with the pier and the ocean is not horizontal.
Interesting shot, the flare almost works as a subject (but it's too small). I keep wanting something on the tracks, they lead me into the frame but there is nothing rewarding there waiting for me.
Nice panorama, unfortunately the building on the right looks like it's going to fall over and I don't think the horizon at this zoom level looks rounded
I want this image to work, but the darkness takes away more than it gives it. The boat would have been a good subject, but it's too centered.
Very nice long exposure shot! The water is very nicely blurred, it leads me into the frame where there is nothing. It leaves me missing something.
Great colours in the sky and on the ground, the wheat provides a nice connection between the sky and the ground, but it feels a bit empty, if only there was something going on down on the beach.
So, time to pick the winners!
Honorable mentions:
dcains and
Indydenny
3rd. place:
Policar
2nd. place:
Juanbond
1st. place:
flosseR
flosseR, take it away, next contest is yours!
(And, last of all, a big thanks to the moderator, it's so much easier to judge a photo contest by looking at tiny thumbnails

)