Best of Show – Pearl Spurlock / Ohio University
Marlene Waechter, a Catholic midwife, examines Aspen Bowman while Aspen labors in an inflatable pool in her bedroom in Jackson, Ohio.
Large Market Photographer of the Year – Adam Cairns/ The Columbus Dispatch
Columbus Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko (21) has a head-on-head collision with CF Montreal forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (28) during the second half of the MLS match at Lower.com Field. The teams played to a 0-0 draw.
Small Market Photographer of the Year – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun
Shoji Uota pours his dog some fresh water after finding the dog’s bowl in the remains of his kitchen. Uota’s house was destroyed a few hours earlier in an F2 tornado.
Bill Lackey from the Springfield News-Sun and Adam Cairns from The Columbus Dispatch have been chosen ONPA Photographers of the Year for their work in 2024.
Neither is a stranger to having their work selected as such. This is Lackey’s fifth small market POY title, winning most recently for his work in 2021. For Cairns this is his second title as large market POY winning previously for his work from 2022. Cairns was far and away the leading winner of hardware with 11 wins in the contest, four of them were first place wins.
Both of last year’s POY winners, Andrew Dolph from The Times Reporter and Jeremy Wadsworth from The Blade placed second this year. Judges went back and forth on their portfolios and both were under serious consideration to win the top spot. Judging the still competition were: Former AP photojournalist Swayne Hall, Caroline McCone, Visuals Editor, The Ohlahoman, and Kent Porter, Visual Journalist, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Loriene Perera from Ohio University won the Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year award for the second straight year. She also placed second in the James R. Gordon Ohio Understanding Award for her project “Chesterhill: An Appalachian Mosaic”. Akash Pamarthy from Ohio University won the Ohio Understanding Award for her project “Sikh Ohio” and placed second in the student POY competition.
Ohio University student Pearl Spurlock won Best of Show for her first place feature winner “Midwife Examination”. She also placed third in the Student Photographer of the Year competition. Judges praised the photo saying it was the type of photo that makes you want to work in this business.
Jeff Lange from the Akron Beacon Journal won the Ron Kuntz Sports Photographer of the Year award for a very tightly edited portfolio anchored by his coverage of the Akron Marathon. Lange had seven other wins in the contest, with two of them placing first.
In no surprise to anyone Marshall Gorby from the Dayton Daily News brought out his broom and swept the top three spots in Spot News. Truly the king of that category over the years.
21 visual journalists from across the state submitted 328 entries in the 74th annual news photography contest.
And the winners are:
George A. Smallsreed, Jr. Photographer of the Year
(Small Market)
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter
George A. Smallsreed, Jr. Photographer of the Year
(Large Market)
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade
3rd – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch
Award of Excellence – Kurt Steiss, The Blade
Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year Award
1st – Loriene Perera, Ohio University
2nd – Akash Pamarthy, Ohio University
3rd – Sandra Fu, Ohio State University
Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship
1st – Benjamin Pennington, Ohio University
2nd – Ayiana Andrella, Ohio University
James R. Gordon Ohio Understanding Award
1st – Akash Pamarthy, Ohio University, “Sikh Ohio”
2nd – Loriene Perera, Ohio University, “Chesterhill: An Appalachian Mosaic“
Best of Show
Pearl Spurlock, Ohio University, “Midwife Examination”
Monthly Clip Contest Photographer of the Year
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade
Feature
1st – Pearl Spurlock, Ohio University, “Midwife Examination”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Sunlit Prayers”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Tough Mudder”
Awards of Excellence
Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Polar Plunge”
Courtney Hergesheimer, “Damarion Allen”
Liz Dufour, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “First Day”
Feature Picture Story
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Naturalization Ceremony”
2nd – Loriene Perera, Ohio University, “Chesterhill: An Appalachian Mosaic “
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Narrative Medicine”
General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Crash”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Vows”
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Masters Eclipse”
Awards of Excellence
Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Flag Retirement”
Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Protest”
Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Vigil”
Phillip L. Kaplan, The Blade, “Mr. Mayor, I Play Tennis”
Illustration
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Smoke Signals”
2nd – Phillip L. Kaplan, The Blade, “Ramp Butter”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Eclispe”
Award of Excellence – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Old Fashioned”
News Picture Story
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Valley City Frog Jump”
Award of Excellence – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Lakeview Tornado”
Pictorial
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Snowflakes”
2nd – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Wildart Salamanders”
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hoops”
Award of Excellence – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Butterfly”
Portrait Personality
1st – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jail Deaths”
2nd – Pearl Spurlock, Ohio University, “Opossum”
3rd – Thomas Fetcenko, Freelance, “Matt Cummings”
Awards of Excellence
James D. DeCamp, Freelance, “Adopted”
James D. DeCamp, Freelance, “Drain Doctor”
Ron Kuntz Sports Photographer of the Year
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch
Sports Action
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Collision”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Brawl”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Upside Down”
Awards of Excellence
Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “John Daly”
Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Steal Home”
Kristin Bauer, The Chronicle Telegram, “Wrestling”
Sports Feature
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Johnny Gaudreau Memorial”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Finish Line”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Battle”
Awards of Excellence
Akash Pamarthy, Ohio University, “Brutal”
Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Game Winner”
Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Rookie Splash”
Sports Picture Story
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “The Masters”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Johnny Gaudreau”
Spot News
1st – Marshall Gorby, Dayton Daily News, “Wild Hose”
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Dayton Daily News, “Dog Rescue”
3rd – Marshall Gorby, Dayton Daily News, “Tears”
Awards of Excellence
Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Windham Tornado”
Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Tornado Aftermath”
Liz Dufour, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Lakeview Tornado”
Chuck Scott Student Photogrpaher of the Year
Loriene Perera/ Ohio University
Millie Fussner peeps out of her home as clothings hang to dry on a tree in the outskirts of Chesterhill, Ohio. Fussner shared that her father Warren ingeniously extended their kitchen space to incorporate their well into the interior of their house, which conveniences the family when retrieving water for cooking and drinking regardless of the weather outside.
Ron Kuntz Sports Photographer of the Year
Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal
Ethan Timar of St. Edward (right) and Liston Seibert of Massillon Perry flip during their 120 pound consolation match during the 2024 Ironman Wrestling Tournament at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
James R. Gordon Ohio Understanding Award
Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University
Agam Singh, 7, plays with Kermit the Frog alongside his cousins while his grandfather rests on the couch at their residence in Twinsburg, Ohio. Agam’s father moved to the United States a few years ago for a better lifestyle and raised him here. His father says it’s important for him to connect with his grandparents, understand his family’s roots, and take pride in his identity and culture.
1st place Feature Picture Story
Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade
Jackson Rugero, originally from the Congo, celebrates becoming a U.S. citizen during a naturalization ceremony at the University of Findlay’s Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex in Findlay.
1st place Portrait Personality
Courtney Hergesheimer / The Columbus Dispatch
Malcolm Willis, 21, died by suicide in the Ross County Jail. His family is suing over his death. He was one of 219 people to die in jail custody in Ohio between January 2020 and December 2023. Malcolm’s mom, Victoria Bristow.
1st place Spot News
Marshall Gorby / Dayton Daily News
Dayton firfighters grab a loose fire hose while battling three houses that were destroyed by fire in the 100 block of Delaware Avenue.