Registration for the ONPA 75th Anniversary Convention and Awards Dinner is now open
We would love for you to join us June 19-21, 2026 for our celebration at the The Ohioan Hotel and Event Center, formerly the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center, located at: 100 Green Meadows Drive South, Lewis Center, OH 43035.
The ONPA will commemorate our rich history by honoring all current or past members, students and lifers!
Celebrate the weekend with us during a Friday night reception – details forthcoming, and a Saturday conference to include numerous speakers as well as an awards dinner Saturday night to highlight our members and organization. Looks for updates soon as details are finalized.
*Lunch Saturday is on your own.
Consider making the weekend a family affair as the center offers many amenities and is not far from popular Columbus destinations such as the Columbus Zoo, COSI, Ohio History Center, and more.
Click for further details
Seems like we just celebrated our 50th anniversary – now it is time to celebrate our 75th. (Illustration by Andrea Levy)
Still contest judging set for March 28
Still contest judges Natalie Fobes, J. Kyle Keener and Brian Petersen make final selections in the 1998 ONPA still picture contest in Cincinnati.
We’re pleased to announce that judging for the 75th Annual ONPA Still & Multimedia Contest is set for the last Saturday of the month, March 28, 2026 via Zoom. Once again, results will be posted live and judging segments will be able to be viewed on our YouTube channel.
Appearing on this year’s judging panel is: Seth Harrison is a staff photographer for The Journal News/USA TODAY Network in the New York City area for going on 39 years. Briana Sanchez, a visual journalist based in Boston, Massachusetts. Sanchez is currently a Photo Editor at the Boston Globe. Patrick Breen is a staff photographer and videographer for the Arizona Republic. He is a winner of three Arizona Press Club’s Arizona Photographer of the Year and three AZPC’s Sports Photographer of the Year.
ONPA seeking candidates for officer positions
We are still seeking nominations for ONPA Board of Trustees positions as this is an election year. Currently, the roles of president, vice president, and secretary will be vacated; although, all seats can be contested. An official nomination is required. Please reach out to Kim Barth with a short statement of interest and bio at: onpachair1951@gmail.com. Those interested should be thinking about creative ways of moving the organization into a more active position of photographer advocacy and education as we look to expand the vision of ONPA. Voting on a new Board will be conducted electronically with swearing in to happen on convention weekend.
As we approach the celebration of 75 years, it’s important to recognize where the organization originated and continue towards inclusivity. The photojournalism landscape has changed quite a bit since the 1950’s. With this in mind, the Board worked tirelessly over several years to create revised bylaws underscoring diversity, equity, and inclusion. To that end, a vote on the revised governing language is desired. A downloadable .pdf showing the updated language with the integrated old terminology can be accessed through the voting form, making it easy to read what changes are proposed. Note: all pronouns were changed from the masculine (old) to neutral (new) and not highlighted.
Groundhog Day is here again and Jeremy Wadsworth of The Blade has won another ONPA Clip Contest Photographer of the Year title. The win is Wadsworth’s fourth consecutive title.
Jeremy Wadsworth
Andrew Dolph from the Akron Beacon Journal finished second in the final point standings and Kurt Steiss from The Blade placed third. Rebecca Benson from The Blade was just 20 points back in fourth place.
Wadsworth graduated from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication in 1998 and began working at The Blade the following year. In winning his fourth Clip Contest POY title Wadsworth had 66 wins during the year and placed in all eight categories of the contest.
The Blade staff dominated the clip contest over the course of the year. Kurt Steiss, Rebecca Benson, Annis Addison, Daniel Carlson and Jonathan Aguilar along with Wadsworth consistently produced images chose by the judges each and every month.
September – Feature – 1st place
A student walks through the shadows of the “Owens Rings”, suspended glass sculpture created by world-renowned artist Ray King of Philadelphia at the Owens Community College Center for Fine & Performing Arts in Perrysburg. (Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade)
News and inspirations from ONPA president Andrew Dolph
Updated December 1, 2025
Monthly Clip Contest
Questions concerning the monthly clip contest can be directed to Jeremy Wadsworth or Rebecca Benson.
Entries are accepted from the first through midnight on the 15th of the month following publication.
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth – 2374
2nd – Andrew Dolph -1504
3rd – Kurt Steiss -1394
4th – Rebecca Benson -1374
5th – Annis Addison – 854
6th – Jeff Lange – 830
7th – Erik Schelkun – 592
8th – Bryant Billing – 406
9th – Daniel Carlson – 132
10th – Wesley Blackburn -104
11th – Jonathan Aguilar – 76
Kimberly Barth
Board Chair
Andrew Dolph
President
Kristin Bauer
Treasurer
Sam Greene
Still Vice President
Chris Reece
Television Vice President
Lisa Scalfaro
Secretary
The Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship was established at The Dayton Foundation through contributions from Larry Fullerton’s family and friends to assist students pursuing careers in photo- journalism. Larry Fullerton was a long-time member of ONPA and both a photojournalist and assistant managing editor of the Hamilton Journal-News.
The Buckeye Visualist
The official podcast of the Ohio News Photographers Association
