November 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Trash Truck Fatal”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Train Accident”

Judge’s comments: 1st place, nice composition with the man walking in the frame looking on. 2nd, nice framing with the Amtrack train. 

General News
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Teacher Plea”
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Protest”
3rd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Issue One Loss”
HM – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Thanksgiving”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Tree Decorating”

Judge’s comments: 1st, great emotion, beautiful light. 2nd. Great composition, love the building caught in the flag, person holding the flag (far left) yelling and woman walking out of the frame, well done! 3rd Nice job sticking around waiting for this moment. Everyone looking at their cell phones, nice, and the man in the middle of the frame, very nice! HM (thanksgiving) nice job being aware of what’s happening around you with the kids, being kids! HM (Christmas) Great composition! 

Feature
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Cowboy”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Christmas Tree”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Sounds of the Season”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Trimming the Tree”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Nutcracker”

Judge’s comments: 1st, great light, nice moment! 2nd, Classic feature (I’m a sucker for these) one of those moments when you are out feature hunting and you slam on the brakes! 3rd, Nice job being aware and keeping the camera on him. HM (Tree trimming) Perfect framing, love the clouds, he could have been 5 feet off the ground or a 100, well done! HM (nutcracker) As a dad that has a daughter that’s been dancing 11 years.. well done! 

Sports Action
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Playoff Interception”
2nd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Collar”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Tackle”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Touchdown”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Airborne”

Judge’s comments: Lots of sports action entered. Such a big part of the daily coverage. 1st place perfect light hitting the kids face. Love the fact that you can only see his one eye staring at the ball. Nice how his jersey number is leading up to his arms in the same position towards the ball. I really like this picture, almost like a portrait! I’m sure the field was dark, such a great use of light, well done! 2nd, Love the kids face getting dragged to the ground and his legs and arms. Great composition with the two opposing players on each side of the frame. 3rd. Nice clean background. Love the low angel the photog used. HM (touchdown) Nice clean background. Good action. This image was made for Instagram stories! HM (airborne) Great action, just wish the photog would have been lower to the ground, but I get it… it’s a long season, our knees can only take so much! 

Sports Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Champs”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “On to State”
3rd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Minutemen Win”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Hockey Fan”
HM – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “First Down”

Judge’s comments: 1st, Great emotion, just a classic volleyball photo! 2nd, Wonderful emotion from the player on the left and the player on the right with her arms open and of course the dejected player on the field. 3rd, nice job sticking with this and following the players off the field and interacting with fellow classmates! HM (Hockey fan) Nice job keeping an eye on the fan, and check out the woman, far left, eyeing the kid, good stuff! HM (first down) Wonderful job keeping an eye on the play after it’s over. 

Portrait
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Halls Corners Farm”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Rod Harris”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Lineman”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Ryan Montgomery”
HM – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Big Nut”

Judge’s comments: 1st, wonderful use of available light here! 2nd, nice light, great composition using the window frame! 3rd, Nice use of a wide-angle lens for a portrait session. Really wish the photog would have used a light on the subject, it would have really helped with that killer sky in the background! HM (Montgomery) Nice classic portrait. This photo will be around for years and years after this kid has a career in the NFL. We will be seeing this photo a lot on TV! HM (Big nut) Love the stadium in the glasses! 

Story/Essay
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Bus Tragedy”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Turkey Drop”

Judge’s comments: 1st, Beautiful story. Shows how well respected and trusted you are in your community. Well done! 2nd, fun times in Wood County! Love how you made an essay from a quick daily assignment. 

Judged by JD Pooley, WTVG-TV

October 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Trailer Fire”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Window”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Fire”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Combine Fire”

Judge’s comments:  Clear winner for top spot due to active flames. 

General News
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Family Remorse”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Bans of Ohio”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Gaza”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Strike”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Superheroes”

Judge’s comments:  Lots of solid choices in this category. 

Feature
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Dance”
2nd – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pumpkin Show Proposal”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Barn”
HM – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Apple Picking”
HM – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Slate Run”

Judge’s comments:  The young girls doing dance moves while holding the metal bar from football practice equipment feels like a true feature moment. Nice job seeing and capturing the moment. 

Sports Action
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Interception”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Dive”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Hurdle”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Completion”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Football”

Judge’s comments:  My vote for first in this category is due to the height of the player and obvious ball being intercepted. Great job. 

Sports Feature
1st – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Marching Band”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Collapse”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “High Five”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Win”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Regional Loss”

Judge’s comments:  Beautifully framed image of the instrument in the rain. 

Portrait
1st – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Domestic Violence”
2nd – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Migrant Farmworker”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Issue One Supporter”
HM – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Gun Violence”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Eagle Star”

Story/Essay
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Shooting”

 Judged by Taya Gray/The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, CA

September 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “School Crash”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Dog Attack”
3rd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Fire”
HM – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Destroyed”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Put Out the Trash”

Judge’s comments: 1st: A clear winner. The two photos complement each other well. The photographer did a good job capturing different reactions after the initial incident. 2nd: This is a very different and interesting type of spot news image. We imagine the photographer had to be there pretty quickly. Good work. 3rd: This is a good example of getting to a fire early and being close to the action. Honorable mention: These are both decent aftermath photos. 

General News
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Governor Questions”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Fracking Laws”
3rd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Sydney Powell”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Strike”
HM – Isaac Ratchet / The Blade – “UAW Strike”

Judge’s comments: 1st: This image has great body language and a very telling facial expression on the governor. The composition is also very energetic because everyone in the frame is engaged, which is hard to achieve. 2nd: The photographer did a nice job finding the most compelling subject. The depth and layering helps bring attention to the subject. 3rd: This image has strong emotion from courtroom coverage.  Both of the honorable mentions are examples of creative seeing with dramatic angles.

Feature
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Junior Hog Showmanship”
2nd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Lunch”
3rd – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Swiss Cheese Winner”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Make Your Move”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Petting Zoo”

Judge’s comments:
1st: We love the intense energy in this image. The photographer knew enough about the competition to document it from this perspective. The determination and eye contact from the competitor is impressive. The photo is a bit over-processed but the content was strong enough to keep it in the lead. 2nd: The content and strong composition immediately tell the story. It’s a really sweet and heartwarming moment. 3rd: This is hilarious. Again, everyone in the frame is engaged. Every layer helps tell the full story. 

Honorable mentions: The tight crop really adds impact for the intensity with the chess photo. Great work. We really loved the photo with the bunny. It’s a great moment, but it could’ve used a tighter crop. There isn’t anything in the background adding to it. 

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Conversion”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Dive”
3rd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Tumble”
HM – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “Football Dive”
HM – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Catch”

Judge’s comments: 1st: It was incredibly hard to choose between first and second place. They were both peak action and mid-air dives for the pile-on. First rose above second due to the interesting body language from both players and the visibility of both faces. We also appreciate the difficulty of getting that kind of play in focus on a dark high school field, especially when the light falls off in the end zone. 2nd: This is a fantastic action shot. The depth and clean background really elevate its impact. We discussed the idea of a tighter crop making it even stronger. 3rd: This is a solid action shot. Honorable mentions: We appreciate the different angle for the Dayton dive. The lost helmet is nice but needs to be toned a little better. 

Sports Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Celebration”
2nd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “Into the Jungle”
3rd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Winners”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Football”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Draw”

Judge’s comments: 1st: This is a really strong celebration photo. The tight crop with the teammates surrounding the player really pulls the viewer’s attention in and elevates the impact. 2nd: This image was clearly thought out beforehand. The framing with the layers of green pulls you in to the middle of the frame with the football player. The creativity really makes it stand above other entries. 3rd: This is a great celebration. The layers keep the viewer interested for longer. Honorable mentions: The football silhouette is almost there. It needs to be better toned and have some more action to draw you in. The dejection is a nice, tender moment. The other player’s legs are a little too distracting, but nothing the photographer can fix. 

Portrait
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “50 Years of Throwing Stones”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Andrew Rogers”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Brian Davis”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Mascot”

Judge’s comments: 1st: This is a simple and well composed portrait that tells the story well. 2nd: We aren’t fans of the use of direct flash on this portrait, but the expression is nice. 3rd: The backlight is interesting but the background is very distracting. If the subject was against a clean background it would be much stronger. Honorable mention: This has nice light and a clean background but the expression detracts from the photo. 

Story/Essay
1st – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Wieners”

Judge’s comments:  There was only one entry for this category. There was a good variety of images from the event. Only three of the images had photo specific captions, and even those were lacking. The rest of the photos have a generic caption applied, which is not ideal. What is the name of the dog in the third image? Who is wearing the socks? Who are the dogs racing in the fifth image? 

Illustration
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Land Use”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Pumpkin Seeds”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Risotto”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Tomatoes”

Judge’s comments:  1st: This is a lovely image used to illustrate a story about land. Well done. 2nd: Beautiful use of colors, light and props. 3rd: Using the squash blossom is a creative way to spruce up the blandness of risotto. It also helps break the simplicity of the rest of the frame. Honorable mention: The grain of the wood flows in a pleasant way with the drizzled vinaigrette. Simple, clean and nice light. 

Judged by Allison Lee Isley and Walt Unks from the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal 

August  2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Bus Crash”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Bus Crash”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Drink”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Zoar Bridge Shooting”

Judge’s comments: Nice images with emotion. 

General News
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Hospital Hero”
2nd – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Legacy Run”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Night Out”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Moon”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Graduating at 93”

Judge’s comments: Nice expressions on the subjects faces. 

Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Perkins Pool”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Bike Raffle”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Car Crush”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “First Day”

Judge’s comments: Nice moments and expressions on subjects faces.

Sports
1st – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Point Celebration”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Catch”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Deflection”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Incomplete”

Judge’s comments: Peak action in the photos provided

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Silhouttes”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Sun Flower Seeds”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Touchdown”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Generals”
HM – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Students”

Judge’s comments: Nice use of light in the images. 

Portrait
1st – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Graduate”
2nd – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Land Use”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Harold Hoffman”

Judge’s comments: I like the portrait that I picked in first place. 

Story/Essay
1st – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Linden Band”

Judge’s comments: Only story entered. Looks like you could have spent some more time with the subjects to get some more context. 

Judged by freelance photographer Jeff Kowalsky from Detroit 

July 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Crash”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Barn Fire”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Truck Stop Car Fire”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Hot Spots”

Judge’s comments: The emotion of the crash photo put this one on the top of a solid group of photos.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Watermelon Eating Contest”
2nd – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Harness Races”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Smokey Fourth”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Eagle Release”

Judge’s comments: This was a weak category and some of these photos could’ve been in the feature category. That said, the 4th of July photo was clearly the standout photo.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Lucas County Fair “
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Tree Farm of the Year”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Nap at the Fair”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “70’s Party”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Fair Ride”

Judge’s comments: This was a good category, with several worthy of winning. We loved the light, composition and moment of the photo of the boy and his horse. It’s a classic county fair photo. Second place is also a really nice photo with great light.

Sports Action
1st – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Punch”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Pass”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Bunker”

Judge’s comments: The boxing photo is easily the winner here. Not many entries in this category, which is not surprising for July.

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Celebrate”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Home Run”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Home Win”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Welcome Back”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Winners”

Judge’s comments: The first and second place photos are both excellent. But we liked how the football celebration photo is more “in your face.”

Portrait
1st – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fireworks PTSD”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Andi Jo Taylor”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “John Daly”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Rabbi”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Simms”

Judge’s comments: This is a small but strong category. The first place photo has nice news value to go with a well composed photo.

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Italian Bowl”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Dana Open”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Italian Bowl”

Judge’s comments: Standard event coverage here, but some nice moments in all three winners.

Judged by Andy Morrison and Todd McInturf from The Detroit News

June 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Fire”
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Fire Truck”
3rd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Cat Rescue”

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image of the industrial fire at USA Trucking stood out for its clean composition and painterly light. It was a quick and beautiful read. This photo could’ve benefitted from some more visual elements to add context (building, etc), but otherwise it is a beautifully-done spot news photo.

The second-place image has an amazing moment and juxtaposition and a good composition on what was probably a quick-catch photo. However, we felt the compositional elements could’ve been refined more to raise it higher – 1st and 2nd were very close in this category. Getting lower camera angle would perhaps help get the whole toy fire truck on the bottom of the frame and more of the house on the top of the frame, and also minimize the dead space of the sidewalk on the left side of the photo.

The third-place photo has a lovely moment picked out of a hectic scene, but the firefighter behind the subject and the Halligan tool he’s holding was really distracting for us. Somehow framing out the background firefighter or waiting for a cleaner background (both of which we know just might not at all have been possible considering the situation) could’ve helped raise this photo higher.

General News
1st – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Salute”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Mayfly”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Books”
HM – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Mayflies”

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image had great impact on us – The salute in the foreground and flames/flags in the background came together to make for what would’ve been a solid A1 centerpiece. However, we were questioning the composition a bit. We were thinking that perhaps getting the man saluting on the left side of the frame where there’s fewer flags and more darkness to help the flames and flags pop more and be cleaner.

The second-place image had a great mixture of humor and news. 1st and 2nd were also very close in this category, too. This image does a great job of communicating the newsworthiness of the situation with a funny human element. We were wishing there were more mayflies on the window or somehow incorporated more into the image (Perhaps impossible, but just an ideal wish).

The third-place image from the book event did a great job of getting a nice, clean image with a moment out of what was probably a cluttered scene. Having the subject down lower helped make the background cleaner by incorporating the books and furthering the context of the photo. Nice moment for a more bland event, too. 

The honorable mention definitely gave us a great “Eww” reaction. It delivers nicely in showing just how many mayflies there were by getting low, presumably almost on the ground with the mayflies (good on you for braving the grossness!). However, without a human element we really scrutinized the composition, and wish the entire gas pump was in the frame and the Subway sign was framed out.

Feature
1st – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “T-Rex”
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Gorilla Suits”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Mills Race”

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image of the kid in the fake T-rex’s mouth got a genuine laugh out of all of us and delivered as a nice humorous slice of life. This is a tough scene to work well composition-wise, but this photo frames things up solidly.
 

The second-place image stopped us and also gave us a laugh. The odd juxtaposition of the costumes and the background scene (and also gorillas using phones!) made for a head-scratching image in a good way. Solid frame from what might have been a less-than-exciting birthday party.
 

The third-place image had beautiful color and shape. The silhouette is a nice technique for this scene, but we wish the silhouettes of the man and boats were more discernable and that the composition wasn’t so heavy on the left side.

On the whole, we thought this was the second-weakest category.

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Outfield Collision”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Close Call”
3rd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Missed”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Broken Bat” 

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image was a very solid sports action image – It’s got the ball, (two) good faces, and unique peak action as they collide. This uniqueness helped this action photo rise above the rest.

The second-place image has great peak action (slide, dust, etc), a great face on the runner, and also a clean view of the ball – All excellent elements! We felt this could’ve perhaps been cropped tighter from the right, but otherwise it’s hard to find faults with this image. This photo could have also snagged 1st – It was very close with us. 

The third-place image had us wincing in a good way and has great peak action. However, the lack of a face left us wanting more of a reaction, and the tightness of the crop excluded anything else we could’ve latched onto besides the solid peak moment. 

The honorable mention image did a great job of catching an elusive bat-break. Great peak action and clean background, but not much over and above that kept this photo from rising higher. 

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Runner-up”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Loss”
3rd – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Duck Leads Cheering Section”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Hugs”

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image does an excellent job of showcasing the two driving factors in sports feature images: the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The defeated player in the foreground has telling body language, and the celebration in the background causes great event movement between the foreground and background. Perhaps a little odd square-ish crop, but all the real estate of the frame is used well.

The second-place image of the two defeated softball players also stuck out to us quickly. It’s a nice, clean frame that showcases the agony of defeat well. Scoreboards can be a messy and cliché background element, but this is a great example of a scoreboard being used well to add to the overall strengths of the photograph. Really nit-picky, but I wish the girl on the right’s head fit into the negative space of the scoreboard just a little bit better. The two players do a good job of showcasing their sadness, but not having more faces/reactions limits the amount of emotion impacting the viewer. 

The third-place image got a great laugh out of us and has loads of energy in it. The spirit of the man with a plunger and flags on his head is infectious, and is a great sports feature image from the sidelines. The people in the background/stands help reinforce the man’s energy, but more faces/expressions could’ve kept us with this photo longer.

The honorable mention image of the softball players hugging does a great job of using extremely lovely light (REALLY nice light!) to highlight a quiet moment of dejection. Great job shooting tight but still keeping all the elements of a great sports feature image. A stronger reaction or more compositional context could’ve help raise this image higher, but there’s nothing critically wrong with it.

This was perhaps the strongest category – Great job all around!

Portrait
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Grandma”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Doctor Ramos”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Josh Wagy”

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image had the strongest moment/body language to us. The interaction between the boy and his grandmother is sweet, and feels like it could’ve been from a profile story with a deeper backstory that just a scene from a concert outside the library.

The second-place image does a good job of using a bit more dramatic light to speak to the broader story of Dr. Romanos being one of the last doctors in Ohio to provide abortion care. The composition is a bit messy and quality of the light isn’t great. 

The third-place image is a solidly-executed business portrait. Pretty standard in terms of posing and composition, but it does its job well. 

This was perhaps the weakest category. Use of artificial light could have helped several entries, and compositions could use some more thought.

Illustration
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Speck Italian”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Guardians Food”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Hugo Spritz”

Judge’s comments:  The first-place image does a great job of making several elements come together to make a great food image. The super-soft light is flattering to the food and scene, the top-down view shows the dish well, and also the chair on the right helps add to the scene and gives eye movement and a hit of environment without detracting from the dish. Nit-picky, but we wanted all of the center-back of the chair so it completes the circular shape. 

The second-place image does a great job of giving a sense of place with a dish. The scene is nicely lit, and all the elements create nice eye movement in the photo. We wish there was more depth-of-field to give more details and definition to the food. Also, putting the food in the left corner of the frame with a 35mm lens gives a bit of unwanted distortion/out of focus bits when the camera is that close to the scene.

The third-place image of the three wine glasses featured a nice scene/concept, but we felt tweaking a few details could’ve greatly enhance this photo. Most notably, the glasses themselves were quite dirty – The fingerprints, smudges, and sweat on the center glass detracted from our view of the drink. We also felt the lights should’ve been put further back behind the glasses (about 270 degrees on either side) to achieve a more by-the-books white-line lighting setup. 

Judged by Isaac Hale, Jay Drowns, Emily Muñoz, and Kennedy Evans, from Utah Valley University

May 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Creek Crash”
2nd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Fire”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Bike”

Comments: This was a super small category. I would have liked to see more of an intensity or urgency in the fire photos, but they’re both nicely composed. The creek crash comes to the top for me with the uniqueness of the situation, with nice environmental framing. You almost have to squint to see what you’re looking at, which draws extra attention to the image. 

General News
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Concealed Carry Class”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “North High Rebuild”
3rd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Graduation”
HM – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Race For the Cure”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Columbus Dispatch – “Memorial”

Comments: The concealed carry photo really jumped out from this bunch. The depth of field adds a nice composition, and the flying shell casing brings movement to the frame in an amazing way. The North High photo is framed beautifully, bringing the viewer in with a clear message. Graduation shot has nice emotion, as do both HM shots. 

Feature
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Graduation Rain”
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Toledo Hedges”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Senior Dance”
HM – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Babies”
HM – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Falconer”

Comments: There were many fun images in this category! The silhouette composition of the first-place image makes it stand out beautifully. While unable to see the details of each individual, the viewer knows exactly what the event is, making it a unique snapshot of a day that normally sees many of the same type of celebratory photos. The arial shot of the Toledo hedge is a fun capture, and the senior dance is a sweet moment. 

Sports Action
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Block”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Using Her Head”
3rd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Diving Home”
HM – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Discus”
HM – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Joey Chestnut”

Comments: The first-place image here blew most of the others out of the water for me. The photographer managed to capture the perfect split-second moment, while framing it nicely as well. The second-place shot is also the perfect split-second capture, I can almost feel the softball hitting her head!

 Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Tired”
2nd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Kiss Cam”
3rd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Foul Ball”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Rally Goat”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Wining & Losing”

Comments: There’s so much I like about the first-place image. The blue tones, the dry spot on the ground above the athlete’s head, the obvious exhaustion – brilliant capture. Second place is a super sweet moment, you can clearly see how much joy is in each of these faces. 

Portrait
1st – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Faces of Sextortion”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Reed Family Reaction”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Tennis”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Twins”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Solomon”

Comments: The first-place image carries a lot of weight in it. Not only can you see the pain behind the mother’s eyes, but the resemblance she bares to her late son is remarkable. A truly powerful image. Second place is nicely composed. The third-place image is a fun sports portrait, I only wish the photographer had used a slightly wider lens to really emphasize the ball in the player’s hand. 

Story/Essay
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Biggest Week”

Comments: Only one entry in this category, but the photos are beautiful nonetheless! 

Judged by Lizzie Heintz / Ellsworth American, previously The Blade and Orlando Sentinel

2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Well Head Fire”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Gas Leak”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Search”

Judge’s comments:  Very few entries. 1st was clear winner. Nice photo great angle to tell the story. 2nd- Interesting photo of pretty small event. 3rd. Good sense of place no drama or action. 

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Promotion”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Genocide Remembrance”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Prayer”

Judge’s comments:  Top 2 stood out. Nice moment and emotion in 1st and 2nd place. 3rd place was hurt by crooked horizon wrong lens choice (too wide) 

Feature
1st – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Greenhouse”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Daffodils”
3rd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Fishing”

Judge’s comments:  1st was a good job of finding an interesting picture in a simple everyday situation. 2nd classic nice feature. 3rd was a nice moment 

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Puck”
2nd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “Goal Collision”
3rd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “Steeplechase”

Sports Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Celebration”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Rain Relay”
3rd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “Goal Pile”

Judge’s comments:  1st was great emotion and clean. 2nd could have been helped by a better crop. 3rd nice moment but the hand in the foreground really hurt the image. 

Portrait
1st – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Holi Festival”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Tats”
3rd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Tool Library”

Story/Essay
1st – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Boxing”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Jury Reaction”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Prom”

Judge’s comments:  Most of these entries seemed like 1 day or even 1 assignment shoots. Prom photos were hurt by bad white balance. 

Judged by Daniel Shular and Mike Simons from Tulsa World

March 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Historic Tree”
2nd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Fire”

Judge’s comments: the judges feel that the others not strong enough to place – The split general news / feature: the tree is so unique and makes the viewer look twice. Very creative perspective. The firefighter is a typical scene and nicely shot. Nice moments created – It seemed a lot of photos were miscategorized.

General News
1st – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Stock Market Challenge”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Verdict”

Judge’s comments: Again, the judges feel that after the first two places, no others stand out to be placed. 

Feature
1st – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Haircut”
2nd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade – “Seder”
3rd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun – “Supervision”

Judge’s comments: The third place could have done well if the man in the bucket was active or doing something to give the image “live” – A lot of feature photos should have been general news. 

Sports Action
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade – “Hair”
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Pile Up”
3rd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images – “Basketball Blur” 

Judge’s comments: The winner is an incredible capture – The scramble for the ball could improve substantially with a better crop and needs a straight horizon. The motion blur basketball is a unique image, but poorly executed. 

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Praying”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch – “Basketball Finals”
3rd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade – “Loss”

Portrait
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter – “Andrew Donovan”
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade – “Polish Chicken”
3rd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Championship Smile”

Judge’s comments: 

Story/Essay
1st – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal – “Girls State Wrestling”

Judge’s comments: the judges feel that these “stories” are just photo galleries.

Illustration
1st- Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch – “Mocktails”

Judge’s comments: just the first place. This is an almost image with a little cropping, and placement, it could be a really cool image. The food photos are very messy and unappetizing. 

Overall ending thoughts: Not enough entries for this month to have good options for each category. When we see these images, we see a group of younger visual journalists who are just starting and growing. They are trying to get the best that they can from the situation they are in. Crops should betighter, look at scenes from different perspectives, etc.

Judges from The Charlotte Observer – The’ Pham, Visual editor, Melissa Rodriguez, visual journalist, Jeff Siner, visual journalist, Khadejeh Nikouyeh, visual journalist and Makayla Holder, multimedia journalist.

February 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “Mobile Home Fire”

General News
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Shooting Vigil”
2nd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun, “Grief”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Ash Wednesday

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Dance Party”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Steam”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Evening Light”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “Nana Van”

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Collision”
2nd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade, “Break”
3rd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Hair”
HM – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade, “Tumble”

Sports Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Victory and Defeat”
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal, “Swim Fans”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey / The Blade, “Goal”
HM – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “Ejection”

Portrait
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Church”
2nd – Brooke LaValley / The Columbus Dispatch, “Raising Chickens”

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Vigil”
2nd – Bill Lackey / Springfield News-Sun, “Shine”

Judges: Chris Walker, MFA , Assistant Professor, School of Communication and Journalism Minnesota State University Moorhead, Tylar Frame, Alex Sapp, Jeb Duininck and Megan Sirek 

January 2023 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Hamlin”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Intoxicated”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Engulfed”

General News
1st – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Police Aademy Graduation”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “MLK Breakfast”
3rd – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “DeWine Inauguration”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Police”

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Sledding”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Burn Recovery”
3rd – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Cat”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Selfie”

Sports Action
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Grasp”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Fight”
3rd – J.D. Pooley, Sentinel-Tribune , “Basketball Pain”
HM – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Smash”
HM – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Throw”

Sports Feature 
1st – Isaac Ritchey, The Blade, “Quiet”
2nd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Sealed”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Blade, “Point”
HM – J.D. Pooley, Sentinel-Tribune , “Unhappy Fans”

Portrait
1st – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Alzheimer’s Drug”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Queen”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Elvis Preacher”
HM – Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch, “Snap Benefits”

Story/Essay
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “March For Life”
2nd – Phillip L. Kaplan, The Blade, “Pheasants”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Naturalization”

Judged by Melanie Maxwell from the Detroit Free Press