February 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “House Fire” – 2/3
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “House Fire” – 2/3
3rd – Barara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Collision” – 2/20

Judges comments: This was a good category. First place was chosen over second because of the new angle of the image. We liked the fire hydrant in the corner of the image. The third place image made us look over the scene for quite awhile, proving it is an interesting photo.

General News
1st – Patricia Schaeffer, The Morning Journal, “Spelling Bee” – 2/5
2nd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Roses For Daddy” – 2/25
3rd – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Convicted Felon” – 2/25

Judges comments: General News was a small category but first place was a good moment but unexpected.

Portrait
1st – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Chefs” – 2/11
2nd – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Ball Brothers” – 2/7
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “First Woman” – 2/20

Judges comments: The chef portrait was a clear winner from our selection. A good amount of detail and lighting work was evident. Second and third placers were well lit and composed well.

Feature Single
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Neon Lights” – 2/11
2nd – Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “Pelican” – 2/24
3rd – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hula Hoop” – 2/13

Judges comments: The neon lights stood out among the largest category. The pelican was a funny moment in second place.

Sports
1st – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “OSU Leap” – 2/20
2nd – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Loose Ball” – 2/15
3rd – Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Div III Tourney” – 2/24

Judges comments:The leaping womens basketball player was the most unique moment we could find. The second place photo was a more usual image but a good moment non-the-less. We like emotion in sports photography and picked a nice jubilation for third place.

Picture Story
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “State Swimming” – 2/24
2nd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rally” – 2/23
3rd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Season Finale” – 2/27

Judges comments: This category was pretty small and we didn’t agree with creating a photo essay from an event or a sporting event unless there is a new angle. The state swimming story was shot aggressively and had a good variety, including good details. The rally lacked some emotion from a big news event. We assumed access to such an event would create a challenge for a photographer. The season finale was a decent group of images.

Judges: From the Billings Gazette.: Staff photographers Paul Ruhter, David Grubbs and Larry Mayer

March 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Injured B Gets Head Pat”  
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Woman Carries Dog from Fire”
3rd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Car Fire”

Judges comments: First was a nice moment with a consoling pat on the head of a young accident victim. Second and third showed the drama of the events.

General News
1st – Jonathan Quilter,  The Columbus Dispatch, “School Cop With Student”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Retired Cop Sentenced”
3rd – Barbara Perenic,  Springfield News-Sun, “Kiss To a Vet”

Judges comments: We thought the school policeman talking with the student was the image with the strongest content. The retired cop grimacing as he is sentenced is a strong, story-telling image, and the woman giving her WWII vet father a kiss (3rd) is a nice moment.

Feature Single
1st – Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “Paczki & Polka Ball”
2nd – Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “Herons Nesting”           
3rd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Kids on Skateboard”   

Judges comments: A strong category full of nice images. We liked the winner a lot, the woman’s proud look and layers of other content keeps a viewer studying the photo. Second place is a starkly beautiful picture of the heron in flight. There were lots of kids-at-play pictures – all of which make great page 1 features for the day. This one we thought was the best of the batch.

Portrait
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Parade Photographer”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Fashion Designer”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Festival founder”

Judges comments: First place is a stong, simple image of an old man photographing a parade – a direct, well-composed portrait. Second & third used strong, decisive lighting to emphasize the subject.

Feature Picture Story
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “High School Basketball Championship”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hunting Crows”
3rd – Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “NCAA regional BB”

Judges comments: First place was good, solid coverage of the local team in the big game, well done. Second was a good job with a tough shoot. Third was good basketball, but pictures were repetitious – a little judicious editing would make a stronger package.

Sports
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Task Too Tall”           
2nd – Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “Wrestler”
3rd – Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “Basketball Scuffle”
HM – Barbara Perenic, The Plain Dealer, “Mooning Fan”

Quarterly Illustration
1st – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “OSU Fans”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Red Boots”
3rd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Butter”          

Judges: From the Bloomington, Ind. Herald-Times: David Snodgress, news photography manager, Chris Howell and Jeremy Hogan, photojournalists.

April 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Farmhouse Fire”
2nd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Apartment Fire”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Car Lands Upside Down”

Judge’s comments: First place: Classic and straightforward. The white house, white smoke and white sky communicates ‘up in smoke’. The black burnt wood and black trees provide the needed contrast. Marshall made this fire stark and hopeless and the scene appear almost timeless. The image is nearly without color except for the splash of yellows in the firefighter helmets.

Second place: This image is all about the photographer finding an angle that could communicate something other than normal. I chuckled when I first saw it, so it gives the reader an emotion. (I don’t know if that was the emotion Neal was going for, though.) The aerial platform poking into the frame from the vantage point is humorous. This image is not obvious whatsoever. Stopping to see this unique framing shows great power of observation and awareness.

Third place: Marshall is blessed with finding one of those simply odd situations where he humorously shows us “which of these is not like the other?”

General News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Waiting for Marines”
2nd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Killers Among Us”
3rd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sammy Littleton Pleads”

Judge’s comments: First place: The window light and the reflection are used well. But even better is Kyle’s ability to notice their anticipation.

Second place: Waiting for a human to interact with a tombstone can take patience. Jonathan found a pretty clean background and let the subject pay her respects. Those fingers on granite create the peak moment in another very quiet situation.

Third place: Jonathan captures the reality & gravity of a guilty sentence on a man’s face in the courtroom. You can see his deflation. The two attorneys behind him add another layer to the image and a sense of action.

Portrait
1st – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “O-H-I-O Band Chant”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Artist’s Ideas Take Flight”
3rd – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Brute Strength”

Judge’s comments: First place: What an enjoyable and joyful image. I love this high school teacher and the image makes me think he must be a wonderful instructor. Nice foreground / background. Great job accepting that mural as part of the scene. The mural only reinforces the O-H-I-O chant. The portrait communicates quite a bit. I was very impressed when I realized the context of the story. This photo was paired with a tax levy story pointing out this band program could be cut if the levy failed. Good work.

Second place: I learn so much from this image, too. The artist is carefully doing his craft while flanked by purposefully composed machines. Lisa uses the background to show the unique nature of this studio which is continually referred to as a sort of secret chamber in the story and caption. Including the heavy, dark ceiling is an important element to help communicate that idea.

Third place: Jeff shows us what it feels like to float above the ground by looking straight up at a gymnast suspending himself in the rings. The image is lit and planned to show off the muscles in the athlete. It drives home the idea that this is a very difficult event to compete in.

Feature Single
1st – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Kite”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Tree Pose at Prom”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Striking the Perfect Pose”

Judge’s comments: First place: Good framing of the subject coming into the frame. Good composition with the horizon at the bottom. Good point of view (down low.) All three of these techniques are used to give movement to such a simple subject. The pivotal reason for first? The child’s fingers as she reaches for a kite that is so close to her. Great sky, too.

Second place: Loved this instantly. Great job seeing such a beautiful image in what seems so difficult. I get a sense that the photographer spent quite a bit of time with the subject. The dresses are a great splash in the monochrome scene. Plus, the image is just sort of strange so it becomes an eye-stopper. This image makes we want to know so much more about the subject.

Third place: Simple, clean, cute and balanced. The middle girl makes it in that decisive moment.

Sports
1st – Adam Cairns, This Week Newspapers, “Eyes On the Bar”
2nd – Barbara J. Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Missed Fly Ball”
3rd – Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Winning Goal”

Judge’s comments: First place: Hilarious image. Great job with the follow-through of waiting for the reaction after the action. You can almost feel that high jump bar wobble as she stares at it.

Second place: Tight and clean with good emotion. Like first place you can feel this subject’s emotion. In this case his failure. Great job keeping the ball in.

Third place: Good reaction photo and good job paying attention to the story of the game. This image is equally tough and so easily ruined by other players being in your line of sight. Nice work.

Overall, the sports photography was strong and these three are all very good images. Made my job tougher. Good job!

Feature Picture Story
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Gymnastics Championships”
2nd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Shining Stars”
3rd – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Civil War anniversary”

Judge’s comments: First place: This series of photos from the 2011 National Collegiate Men’s Gymnastics Championships is the highest quality group of images. Kyle’s approach is clean and concise. The first image is rather particular in it’s composition. The parallel bars anchor the shape created by a perfectly composed grid of lights. Kyle distills scenes down to simple shapes while not losing good content or action. For a sport focused on subtle perfection, Kyle’s approach seems to emulate his idea. A good example is the photo of a gymnast twisting in the air over the vault. Kyle is looking down. The gymnast is perfectly framed within the blue shape formed in the background by the runway. This is the cleanest set of images presented.

Second place: This was the only photo story gathered over a period longer than a day. It is not event coverage. Because of this I hold it to a higher standard in hopes of seeing more intimacy, a story line, story development and an eventual emotional connection with the subjects. A couple images begin to move that direction. I think Neal is searching for a focus, the continual voice through the story, but we don’t get it. Looking at the images I want the girls to succeed and I want to see how the coaches feel behind the scenes. The second image, the kiss, is so nice because Neal begins to get inside the relationships between coach and gymnast. There is another intimate moment later when one student hangs on the back of a coach. Those bits of tenderness move the story along much better than some of the process images. Good job returning to your subjects over time.

Third place: Like first place, this is event coverage. There were many images entered. About five images in the middle could go because of redundancy. You have some very clean images that show action and context. Eliminating the busier shots, mostly of the larger groups of re-enactors, would make this stronger. You have several well-composed and thoughtful images. I enjoy the first image as a scene-setter just as you used it. Also very nice are the kids in the tent and Abe Lincoln. The closing image of the clashing of cultures is such a great scene. See if you are able to crop this down or pick another select. The subject matter is so rich showing the contrast between the two groups.

Judges: Brian Kratzer, director of photography, Columbia (Mo.) Missourian, assistant professor, Missouri School of Journalism.

May 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Man in RV in Flood”
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Waiting For Rescue Boat”
3rd – Eric Albrect, The Columbus Dispatch, “Man Pushing Truck Out of House”
HM – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Hug After Being Rescued”

Judge’s comments: Gorby’s coverage of the flood was excellent but the one that stood out immediately to the judges was the man in his RV gesturing to be rescued. Good job getting up early for this. Albrecht’s photo also gave us a good look at a man trying to help after his grandfather after he crashed his truck into a house.

General News
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Break From Rebuilding”
2nd – Eric Albrect, The Columbus Dispatch, “Single Dad Fixing Bike”
3rd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Office Kissing Casket”
HM – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Broken Utility Line”
HM – Eric George, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Great Granddaughter’s Artwork”

Judge’s comments: First place was a clear winner. The man is sharing a moment of peace with his young daughter among a sea of chaos in his home.

Second Place was a nice moment of a single Dad fixing his son’s bike. Single mother stories are common so it’s nice to see one on a single father.

In Third Place it was nice to see members of the community come together to pay their last respects to their fallen friend.

Portrait
1st – Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, “Viva Mexico Owner”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Graduation Portrait”
3rd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Touring the Tandem”

Judge’s comments: First Place was very cleverly lit and very cleverly framed and we liked that the photographer took a chance in not showing the owners face. It worked out great in this case.

Second Place was nice to show the graduating student athletes from Central Ohio with the Columbus skyline as the backdrop.

Third Place showed a humor in the father daughter tandem team.

Feature Single
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Skateboarder”  
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Silhoutte in the Tents” 3rd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Embrace Outside Statehouse”
HM – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Blowing Bubbles”

Judge’s comments: Shadows seemed like it was the theme of this category. Lots of good entries made it hard to decide. The winners were all classic feature hunting senarios. The type of image we would all love to come back to the newsroom with on a slow news day to lead the local section. The top-down view of the first place photo made it stand out from the rest.

Sports
1st – Patricia Schaeffer, The Morning Journal, “Softball Water Surprise”
2nd – Lorrie Cecil, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Homeplate Slide”
3rd – Patricia Schaeffer, The Morning Journal, “Diving Catch (almost)” HM – Patricia Schaeffer, The Morning Journal, “Runner Falling”

Judge’s comments: We didn’t even discuss the winner. Clearly that was just about the funniest softball team shot we have ever seen. Perfect timing on that one. The water is almost upon them and not a single person has reacted yet. Except the photographer. She reacted just fine.

Second and thrid stood out from the rest because of their oh-shit expressions. (can we say shit on ONPA?)

We thought that the runner diving for the win deserved a mention too.

Feature Picture Story
1st – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Overrun By Guns”
2nd – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Kathleen Notestine”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Watching For Daddy” HM – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Desmond Rodgers Memorialized”

Judge’s comments: First place was very powerfull, informative and the most complete of the bunch. Great job looking a many different angles of the story.

Second place was also very nice and complete look at Kathleen Notestine’s everyday life. Good job showing her metal and social challenges.

Third place was very touching look at a family coping with the Dad serving in Afghanistan and their everntual reunion.

HM was a great collection of images from a single assignment.

Judges: Photo staff from the SantaFe (NM) New Mexican

June 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The The Columbus Dispatch, “Drowning Shrine”
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Bank Robbery”
3rd – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Rollover Accident”

Judge’s comments: 1st – The photographer brought all the elements together to make an great photo with emotion and a sense of place while also cleanly composed.

General News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The The Columbus Dispatch, “Above the Clouds”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hero Needed”
3rd – Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer, “Sheriff in Suspect’s Home”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Condemned Hotel”

Judge’s comments: 1st – The graphic, aesthetic quality of this photo set it above the rest.

Portrait
1st – Eric George, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Folk Musician”
2nd – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Cedar Craft”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Naturalization Ceremony”

Judge’s comments: 1st – This portrait reveals the personality of the subject with the nature setting, natural light and the closeness to the camera.

Feature
1st – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Babies in the Park”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Bachelor Audition”
3rd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soapbox Derby Kiss”
HM – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fit Kids”
HM – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Sculpture”

Judge’s comments: 1st – This photo has a great moment with clean composition. 2nd – I like the color and revealing moment of this photo.

Sports
1st – Chris Russell. The Columbus Dispatch, “Bauserman Press Conference”
2nd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, ” Soccer Drag”
3rd – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Softball Victory”

Judge’s comments: 1st – The photographer did a nice job staying with the subject even when the action was over.

Picture Story
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, ” Runner”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Golf”
3rd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “RIP Big Mac”

Judges comments: 1st – This story immediately stood out among the rest. Each photo told a different element of the story with a variety of creative compositions.

Judges: from the Omaha World-Herald; Rebecca S. Gratz, Photojournalist and Jeff Bundy, Director of Photography

July 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – William A. West, Ashtabula Star Beacon , “Shed Fire”
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Flattened Corn”
3rd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Deputies Search”

Judges comments – Really liked the winning photo. Judges liked the very simple composition; the starburst pattern of the water and the frame of the burned out shed. The relaxed posture of the Fire Chief made the photo.

General News
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Outside With Fan”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “National Guard Kiss”
3rd – Lia DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “National Guard Sign”

Judges comments – 1st place jumped off the table immediately as the best in the category. Judges liked the tight crop on the 2nd place photo. A few of these photos in the category could have placed in Features category. 2nd and 3rd place photos were shot by the same photographer at the same event; made us wonder what the rest of the shoot looked like. It probably would have placed in the feature story category.

Portrait
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Faceless Ex-offenders”
2nd – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Zoo Aquarium”
3rd – Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Girl With Flag”

Judge’s comments – Judges thought the winner was the best photo in the entire contest; just a really interesting way of seeing things. Normally you would never chop someone’s head off like that in a photo; but we all thought it worked here. Zoo photo was very interesting; loved the kid in the background. He really made the photo pop. Flag photo was something we had all seen before (even shot before). But something about this girl’s eyes just made us stare at this photo.

Feature
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Cow Milking Crowd”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Hot Air Balloon”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer , “Girl Splashing”

Judge’s comments – The winner was easily the best photo in the category. Nice moment; made us laugh. There were a number of nice moments that didn’t make it into the top three because they were difficult to read. Many photos were cropped poorly.

Sports
1st – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Flying Pizza”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rugby”
3rd – Eric George, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Swimmer”
HM – Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer, “Horse Jump”

Judge’s comments – Winning photo was a favorite of the judges; thought it was a great moment. Maybe would have cropped it tighter. Not the strongest category.

Picture Story
1st – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Columbus Crew”
2nd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Red, White & Boom”
3rd – Eric George, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Franklin County Fair”

Judge’s comments – Judges thought Lauron’s entries were great. There were a number of photos that were in these two stories that would have placed in other categories. Pleasantly surprised by the fact that there were so many genuine moments in these two stories.

Judges: From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Berford Gammon, Director of Photography
Sherman Williams, Assistant Managing Editor/Visual Journalism
Alan King, Senior Editor News Systems
John Klein, Picture Editor

August 2011 Reuslts

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Blimp Down”
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “Foster Captured”
3rd – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Assault Scene”

Judges Comments – A strong crop of winners in this category. Lovely photo for first place – great framing and moment. What a great idea by photographer to ask for access to the woman’s living room. You could caption this “news in your own backyard.” Photographer of second place photo deserves commendation for being on the scene at the moment of apprehension of the suspect. Third place also a strong photo but judges were unanimously left wondering why the emergency responders appeared so distraught. It was not explained at all in the caption.

General News
1st – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Oxygen Chamber”
2nd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “YWCA Shelter”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Ohio State Cleanup”
HM – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Ohio State Suspended Player”
HM – Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “Triathlon Finish”

Judges comments – Easily the strongest category of the month. First and second place were very difficult to decide between, but ultimately the judges decided the first place photo evoked a stronger emotional reaction. The small detail of Dana’s mother’s hand poking out from the oxygen chamber adds another level to the image. The second place image is also a complete picture, conveying the sense of overcrowding very well. Third place image works well for the story. Photographer chose an effective vantage point, almost placing the viewer into the trash pile. First HM – A slightly different look at what could have been a much more static photograph of a football player entering a hotel. Says more about the media attention than the player. Second HM – A strong genuine moment – perhaps a found story – from coverage of a large event.

Portrait
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Deaf social worker”
2nd – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Singing Family”
3rd – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rhino Brushing”
HM – Eric George, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Stuffed Animals”
HM – Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Crystal Researcher”

Judges comments – Overall a weak category where some entries were a stretch to fit the category, and of those that rose to the top First place did well in taking a more symbolic approach to an issue that would have been difficult to logistically and visually represent otherwise. Second place was a nicely captured family moment. A visually clean picture. Third place was a solid picture of a zoo animal being cared for and watched. Some judges would have preferred to see more creativity poured into the picture or have it shot tighter. First honorable mention – nicely lit and showed some effort to create the environment. Second honorable mention – intrigued some of the judges and felt that considering the subject matter it was the nicest picture one could expect. Other judges felt it could have been lit and composed much more carefully.

Feature Single
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Handball”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Twins”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bubble Gum Contest”
HM – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “School Kids”

Judges comments – First place winner was the most colorful and aesthetically pleasing of the bunch. A great play with shapes. Second place was another graphic image that grabbed two of the judges and while not conveying much information about the event, it did convey a theme. Third place was simply a fun photo that was sure to grab readers’ attentions. Honorable mention was also an intriguing look into school life, but we wish the caption had elaborated on its importance.

Sports
1st – Scott Heckel, The Repository, “Sharpe Brothers”
2nd – Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soccer Flip”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Sideline Cheer”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Grounder”

Judges comments – First place winner was the most colorful and aesthetically pleasing of the bunch. A great play with shapes. Second place was another graphic image that grabbed two of the judges and while not conveying much information about the event, it did convey a theme. Third place was simply a fun photo that was sure to grab readers’ attentions. Honorable mention was also an intriguing look into school life, but we wish the caption had elaborated on its importance.

Feature story
1st – Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Baseball Game”
2nd – Neal Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soccer Game”

Judges comments – A solid category. Judges were unanimously drawn to the emotion and news value in the first place winning photograph. Second place was not exactly a quick read, but one of the best action photos of the entries. Third place, again, excited us emotionally, was well composed and made use of wonderful existing natural light.   Honorable mention was a very standard infield baseball photo, but well captured

Judges: From the Wisconsin State Journal – Chief photographer Steve Apps and staff photographers John Hart, and Michael P. King

September 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Marshall Gorby, Springfield News-Sun, “House Explosion”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Emu Captured”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “House Fire”

Judge’s comments:  First place is a stunning spot news photo.  Focus and colors are great for what looks like a dark scene.  Second place was an usual moment and the photographer seemed to make themselves in the right place at the right time.  The third place photo was good peak action of the event.

General News
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Saying Goodbye”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “9/11 Memorial Dedication”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Thistledown”

Judge’s comments: First place has a clean composition centered around an emotion.  It would of been nice to see the photographer take it to the next level of this highly emotional event.  Second is a nicely composed, quiet moment in what sounds like a busy environment.  Third place  was a nice photo but maybe should of been entered in another category.  

Feature
1st – Barbara J. Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Color Guard”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bus Stop Stage”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Morning Walk”

Judge’s comments: We enjoyed the clean layers and movement in the first place photo.  The second place photo was a great find, although we would have liked to see the photographer get closer to the subject.  We liked the low angle and mood of the third place photo.

Sports
1st – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Blocked Punt”
2nd – Barbara J. Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Goalie Kicked”
3rd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Miller Flipped”

Judge’s comments:  We thought this was the strongest category.  The first place photo was a clean and rarely shot decisive moment where the photographer stays with the action.  The second place was an unusual capture that forces the viewer to take a second look.  The third place photo was another clean and bizarre moment.

Portrait
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Gas Drilling”
2nd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Robot Designer”
3rd – Jeff Hinckley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Chef Cotrell”

Judge’s comments:  This category was absent one photo that stood out.  There were a lot of good ideas but sometimes lacked execution.  First place does a good job of showing a subject in an environment that adds our understanding of him, however the light could have been better.  The second place shows a good creative concept and interesting lighting but the subject is a bit lost in the frame.  The third place photo is a well lit, formal portrait.

Story
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fracking”
2nd – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fighting Cancer”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “One Last Look”

Judge’s comments: First place was the strongest that shows the photographer spent quite a  bit of time showing different parts of this issue.  We can’t emphasize enough that the second place story needs a tighter edit.  There are great moments and frames hidden within the large package. 

Illustration – 3rd qtr
1st – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Map String Beans”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Star Power”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Brown Rice”

Judge’s comments: Good light was consistent in all of the photos and nicely done.

Judges: From The News & Advance in Lynchburg, VA –  Jill Nance, Paker Michel-Boyce and Sam O’Keefe

Octoer 2011 reults

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Southside Fire”
2nd – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Accident”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Repository, “Standoff”

General News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Candlelight Vigil” –
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Amaya Street”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, ” Marathon”

Feature Single
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pumpkin Patch”
2nd – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Martis”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Buckeye”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Flag”

Portrait
1st – Kyle Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, “Kurilec”
2nd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Franco Bottice”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Football”
HM – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Disptach, “Jack Hanna”

Sports
1st – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Missed PK”
2nd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “Blocked Punt”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Football Loss”
HM – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News- Sun, “Header”

Picture Story
1st – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Costumes”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Afghan Boy”
3rd – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Dogs”

December 2011 results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Neal C. Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Bystanders Look at Fire”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Two Adults Die in Fire”
3rd – Barbara Perenic, Springfield News-Sun, “Car Crashes into House”
HM – DISQUALIFIED

General News
1st – Scott Heckel, The Repository, “Jackie Carlton Cries”
2nd – Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer, “Mekhi looks Santa in the Eye”
3rd – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Daddy’s Home”

Portrait
1st – Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch, “Evan Blankenship”
2nd – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Alison Foose”
3rd – Kyle C. Lanzer, Sun Newspapers, “Mayor Dean DePiero”
HM – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Alfred Tibor”

Feature Single
1st – Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer, “Kiss in Airport
2nd – Shari Lewis, The Columbus Dispatch, “Broken Umbrella”
3rd – Lisa DeJong, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pray for Salvation”
HM – Tom Dodge, The Columbus Dispatch, “Assembling Snowflake”
HM – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Swamped Santa”

Sports
1st – Neal C Lauron, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hockey Check”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Overhead Hockey Photo”
3rd – Kyle C. Lanzer, Sun-Newspapers, “State Finals”
HM – Scott Heckel, The Repository, “Facemask”

Picture Story
1st – Chris Russell, The Columbus Dispatch, “Child With Down Syndrome”
2nd – Jonathan Quilter, The Columbus Dispatch, “William Street United Methodist Church”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Central vs. Saint Ignatius”

Quarterly Illustration
1st – Jeff Hinkley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Power Lines”
2nd – Jeff Hinkley, The Columbus Dispatch, “8 Ball”
3rd – Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer, “Jewelry

Judges:
Michael Mercanti – Director of Photography for the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer
Kevin Bevan – News Editor Philadelphia Daily News
Jessica Griffin – Deputy Director of Photography Philadelphia Daily News
Steven M. Falk – Staff Photographer Philadelphia Daily News