Feature - 1st place - Zoo volunteer Megan Perkins, as Scuba Santa, waves to the zoo attendees after feeding the fish in Discovery Reef at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch)
Feature - 2nd place - A couple stands among colorful lights at Bicentennial Park along the Scioto Mile in Columbus on Christmas Eve. (Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch)
Feature - 3rd place - Wayne Kleman (left) borrowed a red suit and wore it to the Friday Euchre Group gathering at Whetstone Park. Euchre Group founding member Tom Persinger (right) greeted Wayne, aka Santa Claus, with hugs. (Tom Dodge / The Columbus Dispatch)
Feature - HM - Devon Lehman, 11, Carter Roberts, 10, and their uncle, Jordan Roberts, glide down Goodyear Heights Metro Park hill in Akron. (Leah Klafczynski / Akron Beacon Journal)
General News - 1st place - Logan County Sheriff Deputy Jeff Anspach (left) escorts Rosalie Kennedy out of the courtroom after she was sentenced to 15 years to life, plus 3 years, for for killing her longtime husband after a night of drinking earlier this year She maintains she didn't shoot him; that they were both drunk and he pulled a gun and it went off. Rosalie maintained her innocence during the sentencing. (Tom Dodge / The Columbus Dispatch)
General News - 2nd place - Germani Jones, 6, of Case Elementary thinks about what she wants Santa to bring her while visiting him on the Polar Express in Akron. FirstEnergy and the LeBron James Family Foundation rented the train ride out for Akron third graders in the I Promise program. (Leah Klafczynski / Akron Beacon Journal)
General News - 3rd place - Timothy Keener, nephew to Vietnam War veteran Raymond Tanner, hugs Ana Ramirez of Florida at the "welcome home" reunion for Tanner at Army-Navy Garrison in Akron. Ana Ramirez, who befriended Raymond Tanner in Florida, brought his remains home to Akron. (Leah Klafczynski / Akron Beacon Journal)
FIllustration - 1st place - The kale caesar salad with lacinato kale, toasted hazelnuts, parmigiana reggiano, house caesar dressing and sardines, pictured at Harvest Pizzeria on Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine. (Kareem Elgazzar / Cincinnati Enquirer)
Illustration - 2nd place - Elote at Iguanas Fresh Mexican Grill in Columbus. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch)
Illustration - 3rd place - Fresh mozzarella and marinara sauce for dipping are a party favorite from DeVitis Italian Market in Akron. (Leah Klafczynski / Akron Beacon Journal)
APortrait - 1st place - Karen Ruf, 50, of Crestview Hills, poses with a favorite photo of her son, J.C., in the basement of her home in Crestview Hills, Ky. Ruf refers to the basement den as her son's "man cave" where he would gather with friends to watch movies and play video games. J.C. killed himself in October 2016, leaving only a short note, leaving his mother with more questions than answers. Karen has since devoted herself to suicide awareness. (Sam Greene / Cincinnati Enquirer)
Portrait - 2nd place - LaToya Williams squeezes her husbands Tom Williams hand who needs full-time medical help hand at their Columbus home . A program between Ohio Health and a local non profit has helped LaToya get a career in the hospital field. LaToya is employed by Ohio Health now and the career has made a huge difference in the stability of there family. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch)
Portrait - 3rd place - J. Averi Frost in her undecorated office which will be her office as executive director for the new Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch)
Portrait - HM - University of Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside at the Larimer Athletic Complex in Toledo. (Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade)
Sports - 1st place - Wisconsin wide receiver Danny Davis III (6) can't catch a pass while defended by Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette (3) during the second half of the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch)
SSports - 2nd place FBN - Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Vincent Rey (57) and strong safety Shawn Williams (36) tackle Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon (21) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Kareem Elgazzar / Cincinnati Enquirer)
Sports - 3rd place - Ohio State running back Mike Weber (25) gets a his face mask pulled by USC cornerback Isaiah Langley (24) during the first half at the Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A penalty was called on Langley. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch)
SSports - HM - East Tennessee State guard Andre Edwards (44) pulls in a defensive rebound in the first half against the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. (Sam Greene / Cincinnati Enquirer)
SSports Feature - 1st place - Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer hoists the championship trophy following the Buckeyes' 27-21 win over the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Adam Cairns / The Columbus Dispatch)
Sports Feature - 2nd place - Ohio State holds up the Field Scovell Trophy after beating USC Trojans in the 82nd Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch)
Sports Feature - 3rd place - The Ohio State Buckeyes huddle up during player introductions before their game against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks at Value City Arena in Columbus. (Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch)
SSports Feature - HM - Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) runs on to the field as he's introduced prior to their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. (Sam Greene / Cincinnati Enquirer)
Spot News - 1st place - Columbus police officer Ace Trask inspects an over-turned pickup truck on N. 4th St. Two vehicles were involved in the wreck. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch)
Spot News - 2nd place - Jim Kleinknecht and his daughter, Lisa grieve the loss of their life-long neighbor and friend, Ray McFarland, who perished in a house fire. (Patricia Schaeffer / The (Lisbon) Morning Journal)
Spot News - 3rd place - Leetonia firefighters Jordan Rhoads and Dan Joy, along with firefighters from Columbiana, work at bringing a fatal fire under control at Ray McFarland's Spruce Street home in Leetonia. (Patricia Schaeffer / The (Lisbon) Morning Journal)
Spot News - HM - Firefighters on the scene at 4048 Peak Avenue where a vacant home caught on fire in Toledo. Arson is suspected. (Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade)
MT Story - 1st place - Mental Health Advocate Gabe Howard dressed as Santa pulls on his gloves before greeting visitors at the east side PEER Center (Peer’s Enriching Each others’ Recovery). Howard who has a bipolar disorder volunteers his Santa character at mental health clinics like the PEER Center that do not always get a lot of attention at the holidays. (Eric Albrecht / The Columbus Dispatch)
MTStory - 2nd place - Randy Jones, a paramedic with the Whitehall Division of Fire, walks up the driveway to Maxine Welsh's home. The Whitehall Fire Department is one of a growing number of departments in central Ohio with a community paramedic. It's a proactive approach to reducing ambulance runs and improving resident safety. The paramedic tracks homes with frequent ambulance calls and meets with them regularly to try to address the underlying issues. (Joshua A. Bickel / The Columbus Dispatch)
Story - 3rd place - Ohio State wide receiver Austin Mack (11) and the Buckeyes take the field for warm-ups before their game against USC Trojans at the 82nd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Kyle Robertson / The Columbus Dispatch)
