Feature - 1st place - Seven-year-old Isabella Lannon of Lisbon gets puppy kisses from Army as they wait for the Lisbon Christmas parade to start. (Patricia Schaeffer / The (Lorain) Morning Journal)
Feature - 2nd place - Rabbi Levi Andrusier lights a menorah at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. This event marked the first time Hanukkah was celebrated at the zoo according to Becca Nitzberg, outreach director for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus . (Chris Russell / The Columbus Dispatch )
Feature - 3rd place - Damian Starkey takes cover behind grandma Kristina Thomas while she snaps a picture of her granddaughter Brooklynn Muncy with Santa at the Schiller Recreation Center in Columbus. Damian finally sprinted up and told Santa he needed toys before making a hasty exit. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch )
Feature - HM - A construction worker takes a measurement while working on the foundation for a retaining wall on the Scioto Greenways Project near the Broad St. bridge. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch )
Feature - HM - Hair stylist Stacia Cohagen washes bleach out of Pat Morgan's, also known as Santa, hair at Shag Hair Studio in Westerville. Cohagen is the go-to beard and hair stylist for central Ohio Santas. She currently has 43 different Santas that she works with, many of which belong to the Buckeye Santas group. Morgan has embodied Santa for the past seven years since first coming to Cohagen at a friend's urging. (Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch)
General News - 1st place - Patrol officers and partners Krisha Green (left) and Charmaine Drake of the Columbus Police Department hold candles during a vigil for two slain New York City police officers Dec. 23 at the Columbus Police Memorial. (Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch )
General News - 2nd place - Andrew J. Ginther, currently Columbus City Council President, announced his mayoral campaign at the Krumm Park Recreation Center. His wife Shannon smiles up at him as he was introduced on Friday. Ginther talked about the importance of having the support of his family during his campaign. (Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch )
General News - 3rd place - Leah Paluch, of Grove City, watches as the funeral procession of Army Spc. Joseph "Joey" Riley passes by on Columbus Street on its way to Spence-Miller Funeral Home in Grove City. Riley was killed Nov. 24, 2014 while serving in Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. (Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch)
General News - HM - Mark Hardy a Columbus police ballistics expert talks about the revolver used in a aggravated murder trial in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. (Tom Dodge / The Columbus Dispatch )
Portrait - 1st place - Lawrence Nawodney of Granville, a prolific carver, poses with some of the Santas he has carved over the years at his home. (ERIC ALBRECHT / The Columbus Dispatch )
Portrait - 2nd place - Jo Ann Krohn founded the group Solace to help families who have lost one to drug abuse. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch )
Portrait - 3rd place - Jacob Bialosky, Dakota Stillion, Aubree Roe, and Chase Fisher are the band Everyone Leaves. (Tom Dodge / The Columbus Dispatch )
Sports Feature - 1st place - Ohio State defensive lineman Chris Carter (72) pauses with his eyes closed for a moment before the team runs on to the field for the Big Ten Championship game between the Ohio State and the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 59 - 0. (Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch)
Sports Feature - 2nd place - Bowling Green State University players Ryland Ward (15) and Gabe Martin (11) console each other after losing to Northern Illinois University 51-17 in the MAC football championships at Ford Field in Detroit. (Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade)
Sports Feature - 3rd place - Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) celebrates his goal with center Boone Jenner (38) on Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) in the 2nd period during their NHL game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch )
Spot News - 1st place - Lisbon firefighters battle the cold fueled by high winds as they work to contain and extinguish a fire of an outdoor wood furnace heating system at the Wayne Willis Farm on Freeman Road. (Patricia Schaeffer / The (Lisbon) Morning Journal)
Spot News - 2nd place - The bright, cheerful Christmas lights on a neighboring house are in strong contrast to the fire-blackened exterior of 809 Broadway and the fire-torn exteriors of the houses at 807 and 805 visible as firefighters continue working to douse all of the hidden fire hot spots in the houses. (Patricia Schaeffer / The (Lisbon) Morning Journal)
Spot News - 3rd place - Cajun Funk dumps refuse into a trash can while doing cleanup work after a fire destroyed the interior of the Wigwam Restaurant in Canal Winchester. The electrical fire started between the first and second floors of the building on the southwest corner of High and Waterloo streets and damaged the Wigwam as well as Rex's Barbershop and the Barber Museum. (Joshua A. Bickel / ThisWeek Community News)
Sports - 1st place - Dayton's Kyle Davis and Jordan Sibert collide with Jehvon Clark of Bowling Green while scrambling for a loose ball. (Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images)
Sports - 2nd place - Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout (47) and Boston Bruins left wing Milan Lucic (17) fight during the 2nd period of their NHL game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch )
Sports - 3rd place - The Columbus Blue Jackets biggest fan Kevin Schroeder shakes his belly as Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save on Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) shot during a shootout in their NHL game Nationwide Arena in Columbus. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch )
Story - 1st place - Ohio State running back Jalin Marshall (17) and his teammates celebrate in the locker room after beating Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch )
Story - 2nd place - Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith (9) makes a touchdown catch over Wisconsin cornerback Peniel Jean in the third quarter. (Jonathan Quilter / The Columbus Dispatch )
