November  2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Search”
2nd – Joshua Morrison, Mount Vernon News, “House Fire”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Fire”

Judge’s comments: First place stood out in this category because of the body language of the pictured firefighter.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Vigil”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Voting”
3rd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Todd Portune Tribute”

Judge’s comments: The moment in the first place image separated this image from the rest of the category. The light, the moment and the repetition with the face on the left mixed to create a nice image of a very tough assignment.

Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Snow Burial”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Pedestrian”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Dolls”
HM – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Festival of Lights”
HM – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Ballet”

Judge’s comments: This was a tough category because there were several nice photos. The moment and faces in the first place image stood out for me. Loved the graphic starkness of the second place image. The repetition and framing in the third place photo is nice.

Sports Action
1st – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Stiff Arm”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Rebound”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Blocked Kick”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Facemask”

Judge’s comments: I loved the combination of light and expression in the first place image. Football is a tough, physical sport and this image captured a moment showing us that.

Sports Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Big Nut”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pucks”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Tough Loss”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Defeat”

Judge’s comments: This was a tough decision between first and second place. In the end, I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between the two sets of fans in the first place image.

Portrait
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Taniece Temple”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Bishop Culp”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Katie Trace”

Judge’s comments: I love the soft Rembrandt light on the first place image. The second place image is lovely as well and works for me because of the illumination of the subject’s eye.

Story/Essay
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Home At Last”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Kalin”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Thanksgiving Dinner”

Judge’s comments: First place stood out because it had a discernible beginning, middle and end. The second place story included some very strong individual images, but left me wanting to see more of the subject off the court.

Judged by James Brosher/Indiana University

October 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Dead Chicken”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “House Fire”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Barn Fire”

Judge’s comments:  While fire photos tend to be the “stop you in your tracks” spot news photo and the second place image did grab my attention, the first place dead chicken image really made me stop and wonder what in the world was happening. It was a tough choice between the dead chicken or the fire, but I chose the dead chicken because of the unusualness it brought, while also being technically sound. Even though the category was low in image submission numbers, the top three photos were very clear.

 General News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sullivant Vigil”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Spelling Bee”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Security”

Judge’s comments:  The first place image has compelling light that gives a different perspective and feel to a vigil image. The second place image is a great moment that is accompanied by the screen in the background helping to give a full picture of what’s happening in the image, while the third image demonstrates the day-and-age we live in surrounding children and safety in a way that speaks volumes.

Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “New Glasses”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Rowing”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Shadows”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Face Painting”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Aerobics”

Judge’s comments:  What a great category! I loved so many moments, but especially loved the moment of the first place image with the little girl cleaning her newly-fitted glasses, sticker on her forehead and all. Love the creative perspectives of the second and third images, and the fun, contagious smiles and joy in the honorable mention images. Truly the toughest category to judge.

Sports Action
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Touchdown”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Off the Face”
3rd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Faceplant”

Judge’s comments:  I chose the first place image because of the clean composition and moment. You can see the end zone, the player is nearly perfectly parallel to the ground and it’s evident that it was the peak moment of the play. Overall, the category had a lot of strong peak action with clean backgrounds and clear moments.

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Corner Kick Goal”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sunset”
3rd – Maddie Schroeder, The Columbus Dispatch, “Golden”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jamier Cato”
HM – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Soccer Sunset”

Judge’s comments:  The first place image captures strong emotion, including both the celebration and the rejection by all peoples in the frame. The category overall had a lot of really great moments and frames.

Portrait
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Opiod Lawsuits”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Inman”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jack Holland”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Halloween”

Judge’s comments:  I absolutely love the composition, light and color of the first place image. The green sunglasses, whose meaning is described in the caption, stand out and give contrast to a portrait that carries such depth, both emotionally and technically. Overall, the category carried strength and thoughtfulness through the images, with several images that clearly captured the essence of the individuals being photographed.

Story/Essay
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sullivant Ave.”
2nd – Maddie Schroeder, The Columbus Dispatch, “Diwali”
3rd – Maddie Schroeder, The Columbus Dispatch, “Marching”

Judge’s comments:  The Sullivant Ave story was a definite first place winner. The story was well thought out and executed with a variety of images that I felt strongly illustrated a very difficult topic in a way that was easy for viewers to digest and get a sense for.

Judged by Kassi Jackson, The Hartford Courant

September 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Care Flight”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Crash”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Shooting”

Judge’s comments:  First place was the clear winner with the helicopter in the background!

General News
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Missing”
2nd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Dove”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Strike Convoy”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Heat”
HM – Joshua Morrison, Mount Vernon News, “Dancers”

Judge’s comments:  This was one of the stronger categories. I loved the emotion in the first place photo. The dove in the second place made for a very interesting and unexpected moment.

Feature
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “I-dotter”
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soldier’s Meal”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sniff”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Chaka Khan”

Judge’s comments:  This was a fun category! Loved the light on the tuba player’s face in the first place. Loved the quirky moment in 2nd. And come on, 3 dogs sniffing each other’s butts? Couldn’t NOT award that.

Sports Action
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Choke”
2nd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Escape”
3rd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Trip”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Fumble”
HM – Maddie Schroeder, The Columbus Dispatch, “Dobbins Scores”

Judge’s comments:  Nice! Always love good expressions, nice moments and clean composition when it comes to action shots

Sports Feature
1st – Maddie Schroeder, The Columbus Dispatch, “Biggest Fan”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Hugs”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Reflection”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Conrhusker Fan”
HM – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Crew Fans”

Judge’s comments:  Some nice moments. I love the little kid in the first place shot. Also really nice moment in the 2nd place. Enjoyed the moments and composition in the rest as well.

Portrait
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Barber”
2nd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Children’s Expansion”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Michael Drake”
HM – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Refugee Policy”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Clay Football”

Judge’s comments:  Not the strongest category but did love some of these!

Story/Essay
1st – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Marty Brennaman”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Little Brown Jug”
3rd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Skylar Richardson Sentencing”

Judge’s comments:  the first and second place were really tough— I’d give them a tie if I could. Love the emotion in the first place, and the quirkiness of the 2nd!

Illustration
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Dim Sum”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pork Belly”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Running on Water”

Judge’s comments:  I like the birds-eye view of the food

Judged by freelance photographer Maddie McGarvey

August 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Fire”
2nd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Accident”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Inferno”
HM – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Stolen Cars”

Judge’s comments: First – Vell framed with the flames and burning structure. Second – Good use of angles to get the shot and show the scene as a whole.

General News
1st – Joshua Morrison, Mount Vernon News, “Obstacle Challenge”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Flag”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Pig Scramble”

Judge’s comments: First – Nice use of space and showing the gravity of the course. Second – Nice use of framing with the flag. Third – Funny feature.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Bubble Sharks”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Ribs”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Jake the Snake”

Judge’s comments: First – I really like the use of the bubbles in the framing aspect of the image, especially with the young boy on the left. Second – Nice framing and not afraid to get close to the flames/food. Third – Nice clean background and moment.

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Football”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Kick”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Stiff Arm”

Judge’s comments: First – Nice framing and natural light. Second – Nice shot, very clean and crisp and in focus while the subject is off the ground. Third – Very clean background, nice framing and I like that you can see the ball carrier’s face.

Sports Feature
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rain Delay”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Mohawk”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Perry Football”

Judge’s comments: First – Very clean background with straight lines. Second – I like the use of black and white here along with it being off of center. Third – Nice job keeping the mascot logo in the frame as they players break through.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Pastor Padilla”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Dyslexia”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hell is Real”

Judge’s comments: First – Nice use of incorporating the stained glass into the frame as well as keeping the subject centered beneath the window. Second – Nice use of light and incorporating the music in the background.

Story/Essay
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Dayton Shooting”
2nd -Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pelotonia”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hell is Real”

Judge’s comments: First – Very emotional selection to show the reaction to a difficult incident. Second – Nice job at telling the story of the ride

Judged by Hilary Scheinuk / The Baton Rouge Advocate

July 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
HM – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Barn Fire”
HM – Joshua Morrison, Mount Vernon News, “Flood”

Judge’s comments: entries were not worthy of 1-3 – one entry was not a spot news photo

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Drug Court”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Hospital Visit”
3rd – Joshua Morrison, Mount Vernon News, “Donation”

Feature
1st – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Year Round School”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Frustration”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Chess”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Calf”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Bubbles”

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Wall Crasher”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Pulled Jersey”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Missed Tag”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Pitch”

Sports Feature
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Brawl”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “First Goal”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Stark County Amateur”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “OBJ”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Benny”

Portrait
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Chris Jones”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Chickens”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Sparkler”
HM Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Barber”

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Vigil”
2nd -Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Doo Dah Parade”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Jaden Reports”

Judged by Matthew J. Lee, Craig Walker and Leanne Burden from The Boston Globe

June 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Fire”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Firefighters”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Power Outage”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Tornado”

Judge’s comments: First – this image really stuck out to me. From the layering to how my eye moves throughout the frame. The photog made a point to lower themselves and was patient for the moment to occur. Overall well done. Second – Nice light and clean backgrounds always make for nice images. I wish there was one more thing for me to look at. Possibly waiting for one of them to make a gesture. Just something added.

General News
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Clean Up”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Dillard-Locke”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Retirement”
HM – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Wear Orange”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Christening”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pride”

Judge’s comments: First – This photo made me stop scrolling. Plain and simple. Good use of “seeing” and it is clean and timed well. Second – This was the best “moment” I felt like in the category, however if you have noticed I am big with learning to be patient and I thought although this beautiful moment is great, I can’t help but think if the photographer waiting a second before or after so as to keep the background clean and my eyes on their hands. Third – Nice light and composition but I read the caption and at a flag burning ceremony I would have hoped to have seen one more of these but including a human element into it. 

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Bounce House”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Summer Reading”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Pool Party”
HM – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Flip”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Water”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Swings”

Judge’s comments: First – I enjoy the colors a lot as well as the background. Well framed. I’d look to crop a little higher from the bottom up her leg and a little from the top to get rid of the red triangle in the corner of the frame. Second – I mean if we are talking about found moments? Cmon! Really serene frame but for me, it’s not as engaging as the first. Third – ANOTHER great found moment but the only reason I left it lower on the list was that it’s not the best moment it could be. My brain wishes the little girl was doing something other than looking down.

Sports Action
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Broken Back”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Header”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Slide”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Shot on Goal”

Judge’s comments: First – Overall best action shot. I wish I had a little more breathing room at his head. Good job. Second – Ball, impact and a face. All you really need. Boom. Third – Again. Ball, impact and a face! It’s a tad hot in exposure but also CROP guy!! You can see the little brim of the hat. Get rid of it. If you’re already that tight on third base then make it as clean as possible. 

Sports Feature
1st – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Suprise Finish”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Woodrow”
HM – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Scores”
HM – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rain Delay”

Judge’s comments: First – That’s a reaction! I would only fix the horizon. Second – Good moment. Wish the ref wasn’t there and the image quality was a tad better but you captured the moment at its peak.  Third – Shooting the Atlanta Braves I know how tough it is to make a pretty image of a player sitting in a  dugout but this photographer was able to do it. Well done. 

Portrait
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pride”
2nd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Singer”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Art Director”

Judge’s comments: First – Why do I enjoy looking at this? No idea but I really like it. Second – Well, lit and good expression. I like the gradient background (teach me) but I wish it was smoother. It’s a tad hot on her right shoulder but nice use of a hair light. Third – I like the B&W but with no color to distract you, it means paying more attention to your cropping. The black line in the bottom right is distracting. 

Story
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “RAW Cramp”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Senior Prom”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pride Pararde”
HM – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Santa School”

Judge’s comments: First – Really solid coverage. From faces to moments to seeing wide, medium and tight. Nice variety. Second – I know how tough this sort of assignment can be and I think you balanced finding pictures with having to use on-camera flash nicely in a room like that. Third – I enjoyed the details in this series but felt like it was missing a big face and someone’s eyes.

Illustration
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Torte”
2nd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Grits”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Skuna Bay Salmon”

Judge’s comments: First – I enjoy the vertical and deep red tones. Second – I love the wood and lack of any major reflections but if the drink is part of the meal I’d want it to be more in focus. Especially if it has detail like that lemon peel. Third – Just a good pour. It’s a really nice touch. However, I don’t think you need to include the whole hand. Cropping from the top left until the plate is centered could help.

Judged by Logan Riely/San Antonio Spurs Team Photographer 

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Tornado”
Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Kitten Fire”
Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Frustration”

Judge’s comments: 01_threat_cjc was the strongest image out of this bunch. Without cutline information we are unable to understand the outcome. This is especially important when following AP style guidelines about suicide coverage.

General News
1st – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Memorial Wall”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Salute”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Memorial Day”
HM – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Tornado Cleanup”
HM – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Memorial”

Judge’s comments: First, clean and struck a chord with the judges. Second, the quiet moment contrasts well with the young crowd in the background. Third, nice contrast, quiet moment.

Feature
1st – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Feed the Beast”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Veterans Memorial”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Strawberries”
HM – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Sleeping on the Job”
HM Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sunflower”

Judge’s comments: First, well balanced and shares a comical moment. Second, the silhouette, layers and colors are intriguing. Third, well thought out image. The reds pull you in and keep the eye moving. The judges appreciated the creativity and odd scenes in this category. We had a difficult time narrowing it down to five. 

Sports Action
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Score”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Puck”
3rd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Header”
HM – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Out”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Catch”

Judge’s comments: First, the facial expression and lighting are key in this image. The crop is clean. Second, great crop, solid moment, the face. Third, This image could have taken first if the crop would have been tighter. The judges wanted to see tighter crops on a lot of the images in this category.

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Safe”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Excited”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Second Half”
HM – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Final Out”
HM – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Jackson Celebration”

Judge’s comments: First, great reaction, framed and cropped well. Second, judges like this shot because it shows the photographer keeps shooting no matter what. Good expression. Third, Wonderful leading lines, quiet moment. The baseball celebration shot is awesome. The reason for the honorable mention is because of the crop. Crop tighter above the head to get rid of the distracting pole.

Portrait
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Retiring Firefighters”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Dancers”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Fireball”

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Fire School”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Memorial Day”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Blue Jackets vs Bruins”

Judge’s comments: First, Interesting light and compositions. Second, nice features throughout. Third, great diversity of shots. Would have liked to see tighter edits in all of the stories and more emotion and/or moments.

Judges – Tyler Schank, Clint Austin and Steve Kuchera from the Duluth News Tribune

April 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News

1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Corvette Fire”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Sinkhole”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Sandbags”

Judge’s comments: 1st worked the scene and composed at good creative moment. 2nd good sense of place and information

General News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Birthday Visit”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Fire Awards”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Fire Station Reopens”

Judge’s comments:  Lots of images have simple cropping correction that could have improved the image a lot. 1st great lighting, great moment, love it. Take more care in positioning yourself, images could have been stronger if they just moved a little.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “River East”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Greater’s”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Swings”
HM – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Simulator”
HM – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sunset Cruise”

Judge’s comments: 1st the lighting, texture, details and color on the wall are perfect, great image. 2nd beautiful genuine moment. Lots of great moments, strong category, so much fun to look through!

Sports Action
1st  – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Safe Stealing”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Grounder”
3rd – Alex Conrath, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Home Run”
HM – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Play at the Plate”
HM – Alex Conrath, ThisWeek Newspapers, “Making Contact”

Judge’s comments: 1st place – peak action – solid light and framing – great job. 2nd place – great reaction. Watching toning and light. Lots of over exposed photos and some look like they have a filter on them.

Sports Feature
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sweep”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Flyer Motivation”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Stunned”
HM – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Puig”
HM – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Game Winner”

Judge’s comments: 1st place – awesome planning and use of creativity! Add in the awesome moment and its a fantastic photo. 2nd place – nice positioning. 3rd – good moment love the positioning

Portrait
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Art Student”
2nd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Lindsey Bolar Recovery”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Brewmaster”

Judge’s comments: 1st place – incredible photo! Amazing light and subject!. Lots of effort and thought put into these especial all the creativity with light. Moods seem to mach the subject which just makes us love these photos even moor.

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Controlled Burn”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Memorial”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Mock Crash”

Judge’s comments: Lots of these stories would have been a lot stronger if the photographers narrowed the photos down a lot.

Judged by Samantha Madar and Ben Dorger from the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah.

March 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Teddy Bear”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Minivan Crash”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Semi Crash”

Judge’s comments: Unfortunately, there was not much variety from the offerings this month as there were only seven pictures submitted.

General News
1st – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tears”
2nd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Second Amendment Rally”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Match Day”

Judge’s comments: Lots of nice images to choose from here but these three really stood out. The first place photo was our favorite by far. The pure emotion is pretty hard to beat. 

Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Grumpy”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Selfie”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Zip Line”

Sports Action
1st – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Skyward Shot”
2nd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Mugged”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Hockey Fight”
HM – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Tough Pass”

Judge’s comments: Strong category with lots of variety and lots to choose from. It was pretty hard to beat the remote camera looking straight down with good action and nice composition. (at least we are assuming it is a remote). As for the second place picture, again great moment. The arms tangled and the hair flowing made this a favorite. And for third place the hockey fight was a good, fun quick read. Sometimes shooting hockey elevated make the action feel less compelling but in this case the angle or shooting position didn’t hurt it at all – it helped to make it nice and clean. 

Sports Feature
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Shirts”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hat Trick”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Consoled”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Hockey Champs”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Wrestling Champ”

Judge’s comments: Strong category. Lots of good reaction here. First Place: You gotta give it to the shirtless dudes. They make this image super fun to look at. Lots of emotion and energy. Second Place: Love the angle. We see cat walk or remotes lots but not often on the bench for celebration so extra points for this idea. Let alone the fact that it was from a hat trick – super cool! Come back to this idea when they win a championship! Getting the players on the bench going nuts will be an even more killer frame!
Third Place and HM: The other images selected also had great emotion. Again, a strong category all around! 

Portrait
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Percy King”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “The Organizer”
3rd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sheriff Sabin”

Story/Essay
1st – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “St. Baldrick”
2nd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Garrett’s Big Lift”
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “March Madness”

Judge’s comments: strong category. First Place: Very well executed. It made one of our two judges cry… so the emotion definitely came through. It felt like the photog did a good job pulling a narrative out of what could have been a quick daily feature. Nice in front and behind angles – yet got great moments out of both. Lots of emotion and feeling. 

Quarterly Illustration
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Lightning Rob”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Cowboy Burger”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Chicken & Waffle”

Judges: Monica Herndon and Dirk Shadd from the Tampa Bay Times

February 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Fire”
2nd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “I-77 Closed”
3rd – Dave Zapotosky, The Blade, “Slippery Sidewalk”
HM: Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Pigs”

Judge’s comments:  The fire photo stood out from the beginning in a relatively weak category with not many entries.

General News
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Snow Angels”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Married”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Teddy Bear”

Judge’s comments:  All three of the winners had nice moments. The snow angels photo was nice and clean. It’s not every day you see people doing snow angels shirtless. The second and third place winners were good moments. Some of the photos in the category seem like they would’ve been more appropriate in the feature category.

Feature
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Faces”
2nd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Teeth Cleaning”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fog”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News Sun, “Rain”
HM – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Boring”

Judge’s comments:  The faces photo was stood out among the entries. It was a visually intriguing image. The teeth cleaning photo was another example of making an ordinary teeth cleaning visually interesting.  Kudos to the photographer in the rain photo for braving the elements. The photo of the kids made me laugh.

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Eagle”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Ouch”
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Goal”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Flip”
HM – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Through the Lane”

Judge’s comments:  The eagle basketball photo was a nice use of background. The photo of the basketball player getting hit in the face made me cringe.

Sports Feature
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Boxing”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Blue Crew”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “OAC  Championship”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Upset”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Turnover”

Judge’s comments:  The boxing photo was the cleanest of the bunch. The blue crew picture was amusing, and the third place photo shows contrasting emotions (might have avoided a square crop, however). The honorable mention Bowling Green photo was a nice job of the photographer getting in on the action, and the celebration shot was a nice job of showing the crowd for a sense of environment.

Portrait
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Splash”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Ballet”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Market”

Judge’s comments:  The winning photo was a unique approach to a sports portrait. The Ballet photo is nice and intimate, and the portrait in the market was something different.

Story/Essay
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rescue”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Fire and Ice”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Buckeye Chuck”

Judge’s comments:  In an overall weak category, the rescue was the only of the category that felt like a photo story/essay.

Judged by Hunter Dyke/Columbia Daily Tribune

January 2019 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Sorrow”
2nd – Eric Albrecht/Dispatch, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fatal Fire”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Fatal Fire”

Judge’s comments: The emotional reaction in first place photo made it the clear winner, despite errors in caption. Second place was unique and surprising. We liked the mood and aesthetic of the third place image. 

General News
1st – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Police Funeral”
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Service”
3rd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Vigil”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Polar Plunge”

Judge’s comments: The strong moments, technical quality and composition made the first and second place images stand out. Third might have placed higher with a slightly tighter crop, left edge is a little distracting.

Feature
1st  – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Church Love”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Sledding”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Window Kitty”
HM – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Kite Day”

Judge’s comments: Both first and second place are beautiful moments in beautiful light. The third place photo was a cute, quirky feature. 

Sports Action
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Chase”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Dive”
3rd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Swipe”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “To the Hoop”

Judge’s comments: First place was cleanest, most peak-action driven photo. Second place is a really clean shot from hockey, which can be a challenging environment to shoot in. Third place and HM rose above others because they show unique peak moments and are technically sound. 

Sports Feature
1st  – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Taking a Break”
2nd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Goodbye Urban”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “OSU Wrestling”
HM – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Three Pointer”

Judge’s comments: First place was obvious in this category. We loved the quiet moment and composition of this frame. Second was also a genuine, quiet moment with a great crop. The way the wrestler is lit in the third place photo makes for a moody scene setter. 

Portrait
1st – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “Immigrant”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Hurdles”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “TARTA”

Judge’s comments: First image is visually stunning while protecting the identity of the subject, which can be challenging. Second place image is right on target as well, but we moved it to second as the lighting in the first was more impressive. Third place has a great feel to it. This category had fewer entries than any other category. 

Story/Essay
1st – Kyle Robertson, Kyle Robertson, “DeWine”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Youth Boxing”
3rd – Eric Albrecht, The Columbus Dispatch, “MLK Breakfast”

Judge’s comments: This Mike DeWine story trumped the other with a better mix of moments and vantage points. This story overall had the strongest edit. The boxing story needs a much tighter edit. It featured some fantastic frames and details, but story as a whole was weakened by repetitive images. The MLK event could be edited tighter but held a narrative and photographer clearly moved around a lot. Overall, there were a few photos in this category that would make nice sports feature single entries, we noticed

Judged by Jenna Watson, Indianapolis Star and Leah Klafczynski, freelance