January 2010 Results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Patricia Schaeffer, The Morning Journal, “Log Cabin Fire”
2nd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “4 Killed in Crash”
3rd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Single Car Accdnt”
HM - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Tractor-Trailer & Bus”
HM - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Explosion Destroys House”

General News
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Homicidal Pain”
2nd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Courtroom Jube”
3rd - Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal, “Windfarm”
HM - Ed Suba Jr, Akron Beacon Journal, “Prisoner”
HM - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Grieving”

Portrait
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Iraqi interpreter”
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Doggy DNA”
3rd - Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch, “Mourning Twin Brother”
HM - Kyle C Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, “Hot Dog Diner”
HM - Ed Suba Jr, Akron Beacon Journal, “Organist”

Feature Single
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Secret Service Staircase”
2nd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tiger window washer”
3rd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Teen Dancer”
HM - Patricia Schaeffer, The Morning Journal, “BMX Snowfall”
HM - Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer, “Sugar Maple”

Sports
1st - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Catch on Head”
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Agony of Defeat”
3rd - Phil Masturzo. Akron Beacon Journal, “Overhead Rebound”
HM - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Scramble”
HM - Tim Norman, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Floor Scramble”

Feature Picture Story
1st - Tracy Boulain, The Plain Dealer, “School Closing”
2nd - Ed Suba Jr, Akron Beacon Journal, “Ice Sculpture”
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Haiti Adoption”
HM - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Military Homecoming”

Judges: From the Athens Banner-Herald; Director of Photography, David Tulis, Staff photographers, David Manning,Tricia Spaulding, and Richard Hamm

February 2010 Results

Winning images

Feature Single
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Snow Car"
2nd - Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, "Goldfish boy"
3rd - David Rea, ThisWeek Newspapers, "Sledding"
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, "Snow Flowers"
HM - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Gym stars"

Feature Picture Story
1st - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, Swimming"
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Rodeo"
3rd - Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch, "Boxing"
HM - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Ohio State Women’s finals"

General News
1st - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, "Soldier Return"
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, "Portrait Salute"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Club Twitter"
HM - Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch. "Meals on Wheels"
HM - Bill Lackey, Springfield News Sun, "Police dogs"

Portrait
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Girls in shoes"
2nd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, "Opulent gift portrait"
3rd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Feather portrait"
HM - Adam Cairns, ThisWeek Newspapers. "Wrestler shadow"
HM - Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch. "Young boxers"

Sports
1st - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Girls Ohio State Reax"
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Battle for the Ball"
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, "Sleeping Swimmer"
HM - Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal, "Wrestler fan"
HM - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, "Hockey"

Spot News
1st - Bill Lackey, Springfield News Sun, "1800s home fire"
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News Sun, "Tractor trailer accident"
3rd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News Sun, "Children at rollover"
HM - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News Sun, "House fire"

Judges: From the Bowling Green (KY) Daily News; Photo Editor, Joe Imel and Staff Photographers, Miranda Pederson, Hunter Wilson, and Alex Slitz

March 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, "Flipped SUV"
2nd - Bill Lackey, Springfrield News-Sun, " Fatal shooting reaction"
3rd - Bill Lackey, Springfrield News-Sun, "Cars piled up"

Judges comments: First place had a nice expression from the firefighter showing some emotion which made the moment more urgent. Cropping was tight which improved content. Second place photo was also cropped tight to maximize the expression of the grieving family members. Third place was good overall of the cars piled atop one another. The driver sitting on the curb was as apparent immediately and the way she was hunched over might have rad better by moving a few feet to the left to bring her more into the moment.

General News
1st - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Grieving inmate"
2nd - Barbara J. Pereneic, Springfield News-Sun, "Mercy Medical closes"
3rd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, "War of words"
HM - Karen Schiely, Akron Beacon Journal, "Mourner for fallen Marine"

Judges comments: Generally this was a stronger category with more and better entries. First place had a lot of emotion yet was not cropped too tight to affect context. We like the second place photo which had a nice expression while sitting on the floor. Third had a nice leading line from the finger to the protestor. HM was a solid news shot with not quite so much emotion but well composed, clean, and told the story.

Feature
1st - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "An 'A' for effort"
2nd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Characters on Parade "
3rd - Barbara J. Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, "Hide-and-seek"
HM - Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, "Helping Grandma"

Judges comments: What a month for kid pictures! There were generally many strong images to choose from in this category. First place had great composition and ready quickly. Second place filled the frame well with the kid's eyes, nice moment from an otherwise routine assignment. Third place had a graphic appeal with space for the kid on the bales. HM captured a nice moment.

Portrait
1st - Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal, "Speaker in the shadows "
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, "Family portrait"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Banjo portrait"
HM - Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer , "Polka singer"

Judges comments: First place was the strongest using space, shadows, and leading lines to make a compelling portrait from an otherwise routine assignment. Second place was the type shot we've all had to do, but done well, with arms around mothers and strong lighting. Third and HM were good moments, with each showing emotion.

Sports
1st - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, "Rope waves"
2nd - Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Wrestling fingers"
3rd - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers. "Ms. International"
HM - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, "Basketball action"
HM - Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Wrestling"

Judges comments: Strong category with a variety of action, generally cropped well "tight is right" as well as good feature moments. First place was an easy pick with composition, framing. Second place captures an unusual moment from wrestling and was kept loose enough for context. Third was a nice sports feautre/portrait. Both HM's showed solid action, cropped tight for maximum effect.

Picture Story
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Deployment strains families "
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, "OSU President Gee"
3 rd - Lorrie Cecil,This Week Newspapers , "St. Patrick's Day Parade"

Judges comments: There were several basketball tournament pages, but most were a collection of images without a strong story line. We were drawn to picture stories that were tightly edited with interesting content. First place shows nice moments of the emotions in the family and toll on children that takes place when a family member is deployed. Second was a good effort at a day in the life of the OSU President, with portraits and a variety. Third was a solid picture page of St Patrick's Day, tight portraits, candids.

Quarterly Illustration
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Beef Barley Soup"
2nd - Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal , "Tortilla Salad"
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, " Fog with tree"

Judges comments: This was probably the weakest category with only six entries. First place was a clever way to present soup to battle the cold. Second place was a clean, tight photo emphasizing the colorful food. Third was more of a pictorial than an illustration but works well.

 

Judges: Staff members of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel including Sherman Williams, AME/Visual Journalism; Berford Gammon, Director of Photography; John Klein, Picture Editor; Kris Wentz-Graff, Staff Photojournalist; Rick Wood, Staff Photojournalist and Mike DeSisti, Multimedia Picture Editor.

April 2010 results

Wining images

Spot News
1st - Patricia Schaeffer, The (Lisbon) Morning Journal, "Stand Down"
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, "Burning Car"
3rd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, " Extraction"

Judges comments: First Place: This image jumped out at us right away. We wish it was chosen as the dominate image by the publication, it is packed with intensity and a great image of a standoff. Would like to have seen it spread across the entire page. Second Place: This picture offers an interesting angle on a routine car fire giving the impression the firefighter is on fire, an example of a photojournalist working the scene. Third Place: The photographer did a great job of getting to the scene in this photo, which shows an extraction of a woman from a wrecked car.

General News
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Jobs Rally"
2nd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "A Champion"
3rd - Chuck Humel, Elyria Chronicle Telegram, "Foam Head"

Judges comments: First Place: “We need good Jobs!” This photo says it all, from the expression of the protestor combined with the phrases on the signs. A nice tight crop yet the feeling that there is a large group of fellow protestors. This photo tells the story. Second Place: A strong emotional moment from a luncheon, well cropped and well executed, good work by the photographer. Third Place: What can we say, we laughed, we looked, we wondered. This is a very strange photo but well done by the courtroom photographer. Would like to have seen either a looser crop that incorporates more the of the judge or courtroom or a much tighter crop.

Feature
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer , "Ice Jumping"
2nd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Flagrant Foul"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Pristine Paddling"
HM - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Flight of Fancy"
HM - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, "Taking a Flier"

Judges comments: First Place: What a cool photo reminiscent of Cartier-Bresson’s epic puddle jumper photo. A very surreal picture that made us all do a double take. Icebergs in Cleveland, who knew? Second Place: A fun photo offering readers a glimpse into the fun moments of parenthood. Third Place: A strong scenic feature picture. HMs Both fun strong feature photos.

Portrait
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Buster Douglas"
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, "Molly Winters"
3rd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Holmgren"

Judges comments: First Place: Very interesting shot of Buster Douglas, unique set up fitting for Buster. The contrast of the b&w photo and the color used behind Buster makes this a stronger photo. We were wondering what Buster was up to these days, glad to here it is something good. Second Place: A strong well light portrait, color contrast and subjects movement adds to this photo. Would like to have seen it run larger. Third Place: Well light simple portrait of recognizable figure. Holmgren jumps off the page.

Sports
1st - Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Goalie"
2nd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, "Brick Backstop"
3rd - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, " Tennis Moment"
HM - Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, "Play at the Plate"
HM - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, "Play at Second"

Judges comments: First Place: Strong feature from a hockey game. We all reacted to this picture which is why we selected it first. Would like to see a tighter crop potentially. Second Place: Strongest action photo in the category, you can just see the pain on the catchers face. Perhaps a horizontal crop would make this stronger. Third Place: This is one of those freak photos from sporting event that quickly catches the reader’s eye. The placement of the ball, the glasses and spiked out hair make this a fun sports photo. HMs Strong daily action photos.

Picture Story
1st - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, "Adoption"
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Final Respects"
3rd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, "Great-Grandparents"
HM - Scott Shaw, The Plain Dealer, "Fashion"

Judges comments: This was our favorite category to judge, the winners were all very well shot and well supported by the publications. First Place: The obvious first place winner this is a very strong photo story with a great lead image. Our favorite photo is of the subject alone in his empty room playing video games. We were a little confused by the Kim, we felt it was little out of place as the story seemed to focus on Robert. A great and meaningful story well shot. Second Place: A strong selection of story-telling and detail photos from a news event. The Quite Please detail is very strong. Third Place: Interesting story well deserving of an essay. A lot of strong photos, would like to have seen less photos run larger. HM Extremely well shot fashion photos. These photos go well beyond a traditional fashion pictures, they offer a lot of personality, interesting patterns, backgrounds and composition. Well done.

Judges: Staff members of the North Jersey (NJ) Record including Tom Franklin, Dave Adornato and Tyson Trish (The Record Photo Department)

May 2010 Results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Marshall Gorby,Springfield News-Sun,“Car Crash”
2nd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Offcier With Child”
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Robbery Reaction”
HM - Scott Heckel, The Repository, “Embrace”
HM - Marshal Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Car Fire”

General News
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Police Ceremony”
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sad Farewell”
3rd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Imprisonment Ends”
HM - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “Police Officer Memorial”

Portrait
1st - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “National Guard Medic”
2nd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bear Swimming”
3rd - Jeff Hinkley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Aviation”
HM - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Used Glasses”

Feature Single
1st - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jumping Dogs”
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bikes and Flag”
3rd - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “Summer Leap”
HM - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Limbo”
HM -Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Chairman of the Motarboard”

Sports
1st - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Softball reaction”
2nd - Patricia Schaeffer, The (Lisbon) Morning Journal, “Diving Catch”
3rd - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Northridge Loss”
HM - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Crew Jubilation”
HM - Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “ Fast Friends”
HM - Tim Norman, ThisWeek Newspapers, :Baseball Throw"

Picture Story
1st - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tlly Hart”
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “CATCH”
3rd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Race For the Cure”
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Another Sad Farewell”

June 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Bill Lackey,Springfield News-Sun, “Saving Equipment”
2nd - Bill Lackey,Springfield News-Sun, “Accident”
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Shooting"
HM - Bill Lackey,Springfield News-Sun, “Fire”

General News
1st - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Flag Retirement"
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun - :After the Fire"
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Homecoming"
HM - Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, "Vigil"

Sports
1st - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Golf Win"
2nd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Missing Catch"
3rd - Tim Norman, ThisWeek Newspapers, " Second place"

Feature Single
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Memorial Multitaskers"
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Reflections of Youth"
3rd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Words for a Rainy Day"
HM - Bill West, The Star Baeacon, :Car Show"
HM - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Water Fight"

Portrait
1st - Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer, "Tat Chat"
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Ethiopian Family"
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, " Questionable Police Stop"
HM - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Dia de las Muertas"

Picture Story
1st - Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soldier Homecoming"
2nd - Scott Shaw, The Plain Dealer, " Blind Swimmer"
3rd - Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, "Cop ide"

Quarterly Illustration
1st - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tennis"

July 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Bill Lackey,Springfield News-Sun, “Two car crash”
2nd - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “House Fire”
3rd - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “Highway mishap”
HM - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News Sun, “Car flips traps one”

Judges comments: Weak category with a couple of moments of good access. The fire photo had nice composition.

General News
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “LeBron in trash"
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Final Flight”
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Disptach, “Modern Patriots”
HM - Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “LeBron Mural
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “School fire”

Judges comments: Unanimous of LeBron in trash, nice moments with the final flight and the farewell.

Sports
1st -Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, " Soccer action"
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Disptach, "Kayak"
3rd - Kyle C. Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, "Training camp"

Judges comments: Winner clearly stood out, summer time not the best for sports action, choices were limited.

Feature Single
1st - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Barn sleep”
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rain Dance”
3rd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Stilt Walker”
HM - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Coke geyser”
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Disptach, “Nature in balance”
HM - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Disptach, "Home Run Catch"

Judges comments: First three were strong with placement difficult. All captured good moments from a variety of events. Timing was key. Clean composition brought eye directly to the subject. HM’s were still fairly strong, but didn’t eclipse the winners.

Portrait
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Alzheimer couple”
2nd - Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “Lady Ga Ga fan
3rd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Inmate with flag”
HM - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Father and Son"
HM - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Samoan Nun”

Judges comments: The few good photos stood out. First place was slightly flawed, but overall execution made it powerful. Lady Ga Ga fan was good seeing at a visual event and the inmate with flag made effective use of symmetrical composition.

Picture Story
1st - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, "Wrestling"
2nd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News Sun, "Pig Scramble"
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, "Andyman"

Judges comments: First place clearly stood out, good image, layout didn’t help the package. Second place was a good series images with good action, with third as the best of the rest.

Judges: From the News-Gazette (Champaign, IL) : Stephen Haas , Robin Schols and Darrel Hoemann

August 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Watching fire”
2nd - Patricia Schaeffer, The (Lisbon) Morning Journal, “Historic House Fire”
3rd - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Horse Riding Injury”

Judges comments: Overall a weak category. First place immediately stood out as a fine picture that showed wise thinking by the photographer to take a step back and see the house fire from a different perspective Even with a better field of contenders against it, it would he been in out top picks. Second place again showed great on-the-ground thinking by the photographer to see the scene differently and unconventionally. Despite that good thinking, we felt the situation possibly could have been worked better to show the whole burning house unobstructed by the window that frames it. Third place showed the scene of the accident and the amount of worry of those standing by.

General News
1st - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bed Bugs”
2nd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Stripper Salvation”
3rd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Democratic Party Tracker”
HM - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Mannequin Cop”
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Obama’s Backyard Talk”

Judges comments: Possibly the strongest category we judged. We were surprised that one publication swept this category with such outstanding images from five different photographers. 1st - Very effective picture in conveying a sense of mood very appropriate for the topic of the bed bug infestation problem. 2nd - A very close second. A powerful picture with a surprising and intriguing story behind it. Enough going on to keep our eyes moving throughout the frame. 3rd - We found it strange that the subject of the picture was not named, nor was it explained in the caption why he wasn’t named. But nonetheless, what a great, topical story with a picture that summarizes the cutthroat partisan nature that American politics has become.

Portrait
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Paralyzed”
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Concussions”
3rd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Boxing Gym”

Judges comments: 1st - Very strong image that was executed very well, technically. A Beautiful image that works great with the story. However we are uncomfortable with the lack of information given in the caption explaining where the posted picture came from. If the family placed it on the pole at some other time, the caption should state so. If the photographer placed it on the pole, the caption should state so. 2nd - Simple. Wonderfully lit, Works very well with the concept of the story. 3rd - Great lighting and color with an interesting construction of visual figures. There are lot of elements to look at, but it’s not too busy, either, and your eye still knows exactly where to go.

Feature Single
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fishing for Dogs”
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Concrete Finishing”
3rd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Old Friends”
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “New Friends”
HM -Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hydrant”

Judges comments: 1st - Something we’ve never seen before with a clean composition. The content is humorous and makes us want to study the picture longer and know more about it. Beautiful lighting. 2nd - Another moment we’ve never seen before. The first picture we’ve ever seen where orange cones actually “worked.” We did feel like a slight crop from the bottom could have strengthened the composition, 3rd - Nice, clean, genuine moment captured between the two men. Felt like the third person exiting the picture in the background was a distracting element.

Sports
1st - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Back on the Field”
2nd - Patricia Schaeffer, The (Lisbon) Morning Journal, “Rodeo”
3rd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soccer Tackle”

Judges comments: 1st - In a category with the “usual suspects” of predictable action photos, this image was a very welcome surprise. Great thinking by the photographer to capture - with clean graphicness - a vantage point we’ve never seen before. 2nd - Good peak action. It caught our eyes right away because it’s a dramatic moment. Two judges like the looser crop with space given to show the majority of other competitors. Another felt the top 1/3 of the picture could have been cropped out to bring the viewer right to the action, strengthen the composition, and simplify the image. 3rd - A clean action shot showing something we’d be more likely to see in a rugby or football game. The caption was lacking an explanation of what happened on the play, and if there was nay penalty. We also felt like it was a poor crop into the player’s arm. We support a full amputation; not a partial.

Picture Story
1st - Adams Cairns, ThisWeel Newspapers, “585th Homecoming”
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “585th Homecoming”
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Strippers, Church Reconcile”

Judges comments: One raw emotional moment and a variety of spontaneous moments from a single event put the first place entry above the second place entry, both coverage of the return from Iraq of an Army National Guard unit. Judges also thought the first place entry had the tightest edit, which showcased the important pictures even in the face of an extremely poor layout and presentation. It was difficult to get past the jigsaw puzzle layout and presentation of the photos - all small and tough to read at first glance. A shame because several of these should not be overlooked. Second place showed really nice content and variety, all well executed. Third place was the only entry which covered an issue and had problem-conflict-resolution story arc. But judges thought the edit could have been tighter - fewer photos would have done the job and many of the photos made us feel apart from the event, were shot from the same perspective and angle, same size and shape, same deep depth of field, etc. Just picking the strongest one and cropping tighter on some would have helped the third place entry.

Judges: From the Wisconsin State Journal: Staff photographers John Hart, Michael P. King, Craig Schreiner and Chief Photographer Steve Apps.

September 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, "Deer Gets Tangled in Net"
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, " Neighbor Helps Fight Fire"
3rd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Garage Sale"

Judges comments: First won outright. You don’t see that very often. Second place, photographer must have beat the fire department to the fire.

General News
1st - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, " Marijuana Eradication Team"
2nd - Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, "Penny Pinchers"
3rd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, "Animal Torture Protest"

Judges comments: Nice silhouette of police officer with marijuana plants standing out takes first. Liked penny pinchers because it was different. Would have liked to have seen a different angle on third place but it still stuck out.

Portrait
1st - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Michael Weiss”
2nd - Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jet Plane”
3rd Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Chris Irion”

Judges comments: First stood out above the rest. Nice use of shadows.

Feature Single
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Race for Cure”
2nd - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Oreo Forehead”
3rd - Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Paints Landscape”

Judges comments: Nice use of graphic shadow elements in first place.

Sports
1st - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Loses Helmet”
2nd - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, "Celebrates shot”
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Saved Shot”

Judges comments: Nice action on first. Good jubilation on second

Picture Story
1st - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Model Planes”
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “EMT practice”
3rd - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, “First responders park”

Judges comments: First and Second needed tighter editing.

3rd Quarter Illustration
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Cool Collision”
2nd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Military Inspired”
3rd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Boyish Charm”

Judges comments: First, second and third were all nicely lit.

Judges: From the Journal & Courier, Lafayette, Indiana: Michael Heinz (multimedia editor), John Terhune (senior photographer) and Brent Drinkut (staff photographer)

October 2010 results

Spot News
1st - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, "Two slain at Denison Plant"
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Reaction at Fatal Fire"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Officer Comforts at Scene"

Judges comments: The top three announced their presence quickly, with first place dominating the category.

General News
1st - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, "Arson Site Vigil"
2nd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, "Trucker Gets 30 Days"
3rd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, "Toy Donation"

Judges comments: 1st - Very telling image. Reader doesn't have to rely on the caption. It's all there in the photo. 2nd - Good emotion and vantage point. The victim's family in the background adds to the affect. 3rd - The spontaneity of the moment captures the mood of the event well.

Portrait
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, " Ryan Hawkinberry"
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, " New Horizons"
3rd - Jonathan Quiler, The Columbus Dispatch, "Mary Anne Saucier"

Judges comments: First place stood out immediately in a very uncrowded field f entries. Strongly composed and thoughtfully lit. Second place told the story without need for captions. Good story -telling portrait.

Feature Single
1st - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Polar Playground"
2nd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Stilt Walker"
3rd - Barbara J. Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, "Angry Gingy on Bone"
HM - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Parade Wavers"
HM -Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, "Swinging Volunteers"

Judges comments: 1st - Grabs your attention right away, with a combination of pictorial and feature qualities in one. Second: We loved the voyeuristic feel of this photo. The out-of-place feel of the subject, juxtaposed with the American flag at the edge of he ram makes it feel complete. Third: This one made us chuckle.

Sports
1st - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, "Indiana Piles on a Buckeye"
2nd - Neal C, Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Columbus Soccer"
3rd - Neal C, Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "Buckeye Gets Facemasked"
HM - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, "Game Disappointment"
HM - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, "Bellamy tackles Posey"

Judges comments: A group of images that was not very distinctive. Many standard action shots that at first don't stand out. Final winners where chosen for their peak action, and clean composition. The first HM was the best sports feature of the bunch.

Picture Story
1st - Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, "Clean Water and Farms"
2nd - Chuck Humel. The (Elyria) Chronicle Telegram, " New Kind of Beautiful"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Broken Promises"

Judges comments: First place was very thorough, but could have been edited more. Some of the images were redundant. Contrasting with 2 and 3, both powerful stories that needed to go deeper into the subject. Both stories had additional potential that weren't fully realized.

Judges: Photo editor Michael Randolph and the photography staff from The Bay City (MI) Times

November 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Lynn Ischay, The Plain-Dealer, "Playground fire"
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, "Police Raid"
3rd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News Sun, "Fire"

Judges comments: 1st had an eerie feel about it that really worked. 2nd- Great access and timing to capture a police raid. 3rd-Right place, right time.

General News
1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Election Results"
2nd - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, "Dog Votes"
3rd - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, "Fingers Crossed"
HM - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Marine Burial"

Judges comments: 1st - Great photo for mundane situation. Nice composition, use of color and light. 2nd - Very funny moment, great find for another mundane assignment. 3rd - Nice moment captures tension. Obvious that the father and daughter have a vested interest in the result. HM - A real almost. Judges just felt it was a bit too loose.

Portrait
1st - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Nightclub Violence"
2nd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, "Fall Nap"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Professor"

Judges comments: 1st - Good use of shattered glass to portray violence. 2nd - Nice fall light. Makes me want to take a nap. WOuld have also placed in the feature category. 3rd - Well lit, simple portrait highlighting creatures.

Feature Single
1st - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, "Simply Irresistable"
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, "Portrait"
3rd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, "Sailing"

Judges comments: 1st - Humor is always good. Funny moment, well composed. 2nd - Nice angle. 3rd -Good graphic quality.

Sports
1st - Neal Lauren, The Columbus Dispatch, "Go Ahead Goal"
2nd - Barbara Perenic,"Springfield News-Sun, "Goal Celebration"
3rd - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, "Steamy"
11/12

Judges comments: 1st place - Nice moment well composed and very clean. 2nd - Great moment capturing the highs and the lows of sport. 3rd - The first photo to catch judges eye. A nice example of a non-action, quiet moment that really works.

Picture Story
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain-Dealer , "Transplant"
2nd - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, "Vets"
3rd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, "OSU"

Judges comments: 1st - Very nice essay. Well shot. Difficult subject. 2nd - Good collection of individual moments from, what we can imagine, was not a very exciting event. 3rd - Interesting angles and moments from a great rivalry.

Judges: From The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa.: Mark Pynes, DIrector of Photography, Sean Simmers, Joe Hermitt and Paul Chaplin, staff photographers.

December 2010 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Man Reaching Thru Window”
2nd - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Man Grimace Truck Accident”
3rd - Scott Heckel, The Repository, “Car Upside Down”

Judges comments: First place had a strong sense of immediacy and tension. A unique frame from a spot news event. The second place picture had a clean composition and a strong sense of emotion on the victim’s face.
We liked the third photo for the unique perspective of the car.

General News
1st - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Homecoming Embrace”
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Deported Cry”
3rd - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Boy With Cutout”

Judges comments: First place was a clear winner. We really liked the layered composition with various levels of emotion going on. The second place winner felt like it conveyed a wonderful sense of quiet and intimate sadness. The third place winner felt like a nice surprise from such an event.

Portrait
1st - Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, “Silhouette Guitarist”
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Deportion vs Jail”
3rd - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Cat on Head”

Judges comments: We felt like the first place silhouetted portrait was really well executed. It had a great composition and the inclusion of the Christmas tree and colors took this picture to another storytelling level. The second place photo had a very eerie feel to it, that we think matched the story well. Felt like it could’ve been cropped tighter. Third place made us laugh. Great juxtaposition of the cat’s head on the human body.

Feature Single
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Bicyclist in snow”
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Candlelight Twilight”
3rd - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Umbrella Walker”

Judges comments: First place had a strong composition, and with the gesturing of the biker’s hand, it conveyed the cold temperature. Loved that this felt like the combination of a scenic photograph with a real moment. Second place was just so lovely. The color and the curving candles really drew us into the image, while the inclusion of a person provided another element for the eye to discover. Third place had a great mood, and was a strong weather feature.

Sports
1st - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Soccer Joy/Pain”
2nd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bball Grab”
3rd - Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, “Joy Embrace”

Judges comments: Overall, this felt like a fairly weak category. First place had a great expression of winning, and losing in the background. Second seemed like a unique “fight for the ball” shot. The third place winner felt like an inbetween crop, but we liked the sense of elation in the image.

Picture Story
1st - Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Nuns”
2nd - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Welcome Home”
3rd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Football Story”
HM - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Shelter”

Judges comments: Several entries felt like they included very weak images, which brought down the entire story for us. Every image in the first place winner felt very strong. Wonderful moments and details in this story. The second place essay on troop homecoming had several strong moments, and a nice mix of overall shots and emotional images. The third place football essay had a good variety of images that kept the story going, thought it did feel like it had a few too many action photos. Also wished there would’ve been more team interaction/camaraderie. The Honorable mention had some very strong individual images, but overall didn’t feel like a cohesive story.

4th Quarter Illustration
1st - Lisa Dejong, The Plain Dealer, “Angels “
2nd - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Basketball Players and Fence”
3rd - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Cranberries”

Judges comments: First place felt like a more conceptual and artistic way to illustrate the story. The second place was well lit and executed, but did feel like more of a portrait. The third place winner felt like a classic food illustration with great color and a strong composition.

Judges: From the concord Monitor.: Alex Cohn, Photo Editor; Katie Barnes & John Tully, Staff Photographers, and Neil Blake, Photo Intern.

Final Point standings 2010

1st - Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch - 1114
2nd - Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch - 1044
3rd - Lisa Dejong, The Plain Dealer - 904
4th - Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun - 794
5th - Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch - 774
6th - Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch - 634
7th - Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun - 624
8th - Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch - 592
9th - Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch - 564
10th - Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun - 464
11th - Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch - 374
12th - Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer - 262
13th - Patti Schaeffer, The (Lisbon) Morning Journal - 254
14th - Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers - 212
15th - Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer - 172
16th - Phil Masturzo, Akron Beacon Journal - 166
17th - Jeff Hinckley, The columbus Dispatch - 164
         - Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers - 164
19th - Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch - 138
20th - Adam Cairns, ThisWeek Newspapers - 82
         - Chuck Humel, The (Elyria) Chronicle Telegram - 82
22nd - Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer - 74
23rd - Ed Suba Jr., Akron Beacon Journal - 64
24th - Tim Norman, ThisWeek Newspapers - 62
25th - Scott Shaw, The Plain Dealer - 56
26th - Tracy Boulian, The Plain Dealer - 54
27th - Scott Heckel, The Repository - 46
28th - David Rae, ThisWeek Newspapers - 40
29th - Tim Revell, Freelance - 22
30th - Karen Schiely, Akron Beacon Journal - 16