November 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Hopper Wagon”

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Walker”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Leaf Pile”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Fall”

Feature
1st  Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Walker”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Leaf Pile”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Fall”

Sports Action
1st – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Handstand”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jumping Touchdown”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Nordonia Pass”

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Upset”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Student Cheer”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Teddy Bear Toss”

Portrait
1st 0- Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Apartment Fire”

Story/Essay
1st  – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “West Hill Marathon”

Judged by Logan Riely, San Antonio Spurs

October 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Fire”

General News
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Warther Carving”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “March”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pizza Moving”

Feature
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Amish Fishing”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tennis”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Spooky”

Portrait
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Francis Scott Key”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Icarus”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Police Chaplain”

Sports
1st – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Butterfly”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Tackle”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Dive”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Big Man TD”

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Celebration”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Shadows”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Head Pat”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Night Game”

Story
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “World Cup”

Judged by Samantha Madar/ Green Bay Press Gazette/USA Today Wisconsin 

September 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Shooting”
2nd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Car in House”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Field Fire”

Judge’s comments: First place had the emotion and composition to win. It’s not easy to be photographing those situations. It would have maybe been nice to see names in the caption here if possible. Second place tells an emotional story even without a human subject. Third place is a clean frame that tells the story well. 

General News
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Raking the Muck”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Nine Eleven”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Tomato Throw”

Judge’s comments: I loved the composition and toning of the first place photo. It would look great on A1! Second place—great framing, exposure and patience. The tomato throwing photo is unique and it’s nice to see all three faces clearly. 

Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Wave”
2nd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Turkey Compeition”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Fall Walk”

Judge’s comments: First place is one of those weather features my editor would have been very happy to see. Way to put the work in and wait for a moment on a dreary day. Second place is well cropped and a fun moment. Third place is a great weather feature to bring to the table. Love the crop and expressions. It’s clear the subjects were comfortable with you. 

Sports Action
1st – Scott Heckel, , “Fumble”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Peace Touchdown”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Football Jump”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Sand Trap”

Judge’s comments: First place is not an easy football shot to get, and in golden light! Second place is super clean and though not peak action, unique action for sure. Third place is an awesome catch, the whites were a little too hot so it landed in third for this reason. HM chosen for unique action. 

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Walk-off Win”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Whitmer Win”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Player Introductions”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Tigers”

Judge’s comments: First place impressed me the most—it’s not easy to pull off a good baseball jubilation shot! It’s clear the photographer knew where to look in this moment. Second place is hard to pull off at that wide of an angle without cropping but it works well here! Third place is a really pure moment and super clean. Tiger shot is creative, but wish I had a few more faces to look at. (Of course, not always in the photographers control), but great idea!

Portrait
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Bennett”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “School Supplies”
3rd – Scott Heckel, , “Downtown Mural”

Judge’s comments: First place was a clear winner here, unique light and working with a toddler are not usually an easy combo to pull off! Second place frame is clean and took work for the photographer to set the supplies up. Third place Is a cool vibe and story—I would suggest trying another angle to get the car out of the frame if it could not be moved.  

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Solheim Cup”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Soviak Funeral”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Solheim Cup”

Judge’s comments: The Solheim Cup story was an easy choice for first place. Lots of great features mixed with action and a variety of cropping. In the second place story, it is clear the photographer moved around a lot despite the event being in one place. I liked seeing the variety of angles and work the photographer put in. The third place story was a job well done as well, but I felt it needed to start with a stronger image to really open up the story. 

Illustration
1st – Kyle Robertson, c, “Hispanic Coalition”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Ice Cream Sandwiches”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Peach Pie”

Judge’s comments: I chose the first place winner because I liked that I could get a sense of environment the beer is being sold in. The ice cream sandwiches are clean. I wanted to put the peach pie second but I wish the focus was not on the fork here.

Judged be Lee Klafczynski, Freelance based in Indianapolis

August 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Flood”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Tornado”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Cheese Truck Crash”
HM -Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Storm Damage”

Judge’s comments:  Small details make these images stand out. The reflection and subtle colors in the first place image, the massive splintered trees in the second, the towering clouds and complimentary colors in the third, the upset and shock on the man’s face in the honorable mention makes the moment relatable. 

General News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “First Day”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “German Fest”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “County Fair”
HM -Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Reflection”
HM -Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “BMX Demo”

Judge’s comments:  A couple of these submissions leaned more toward feature for me than general news. The human moment is strong in the first place image and isn’t the typical first day of school photo readers get to see. Second and third place have a similar composition but the light and color in the second place image made it more interesting to look at. 

Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Misty Silhouette”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Splash Pad”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Senior Parking”
HM -Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Beach Day”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Over the Edge”

Judge’s comments:  Lots of fun imagery in this category. The first place image is lovely: beautiful light, composition, action; it could almost be monochrome. The honorable mentions are nice moments but the composition and colors in the second and third place photos are just a bit stronger.

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Tackle”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jump Kick”
3rd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Backhand”
HM -Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Soccer Collision”
HM -Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Pass Defended”

Judge’s comments:  The top images in this category placed the way they did because they have clean backgrounds and/or dynamic subjects. The honorable mentions are quality images as well; the flying soccer player in the first and the eyes of both football players in the second stand out.

Sports Feature
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Crew”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Dover Takes the Field”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Moon”
HM -Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Arguon Bush”
HM -Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Ice Bath”

Judge’s comments:  This batch of photos was tough to judge because there were so many great captures. The top three images were easy to get lost in; clean and so visually interesting.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Monarch”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Soccer”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Driver Shortage”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Piano”

Judge’s comments:  The expression on the couple in the first place photo doesn’t feel forced, really nice lighting and expression in the second place photo, creative idea with the reflection in the third place image. 

Story/Essay
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “German Fest”
2nd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Eviction”

Judge’s comments:  While the story of the evictions feels more important, the imagery in the German fest story are more visually interesting. Order of images is important. The photos that capture Navielle Lofton’s story when placed next to each other stand out far more than when they are apart. The details and moments captured in the German fest set are strengthened by nice light and interesting subjects.

Judged by Tyler Schank/Tampa Bay Rays

July 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Blue Jackets Memorial”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Water Rescue”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Storm Damage”

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Fireworks”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Naturalization”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “New Citizens”

Judge’s comments: Love the splash of colors in the fireworks photo.

Feature
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Leg Show”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Air Dogs”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Derby Nap”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Sparkler”
HM – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Haircut”

Judge’s comments: I love the layers of detail in all the photos. Especially the leg contest – there’s so much going on and every face in the crowd contributes something different towards the atmosphere of the event.

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Broken Bat”
2nd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Scrimmage”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Steal”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Pitch”

Judge’s comments: The expression on Rodriguez’s face!

Sports Feature
1st – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “The Baily Section”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Goal Celebration”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “New Stadium”

Judge’s comments: Interesting use of smoke in the stands.

Portrait
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “All Metro”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Trailorette”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Candidate”

Judge’s comments: As someone from outside Ohio, I was a little confused by the Blystone’s hat.

Story/Essay
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Sunset Yoga”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Still Frying”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “New Stadium”

Judge’s comments: Colors could be more consistent but love the story and photos.

Judged by Jintak Han, a photo intern for the Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean newspaper.

June 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Felon Arrest”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Crash”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Fire”

Judge’s comments:  First – Nice framing and good moment of action; good composition. Second – Good scope of damage but would’ve liked to see a better composed image. The background is too busy and could have benefitted from a different angle if possible. Third – Dramatic mood and nice human component. 

General News
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Inclusive Playground”
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pfc. James Wilmer”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Newborn Daughter”

Judge’s comments: First – Very intentional photo. Great use of repetition. Nicely composed. Way to make what could have been a mundane image into something interesting. Second – Nice angle and perspective. Good toning. Third – Great storytelling image. Captured an important human moment full of emotion. 

Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Birthday Fishing”
2nd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Freedom Fest”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, /Elsestar Images, “Bug Eyes”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Splash”

Judge’s comments: First – Good composition with nice layering and mood. Second – An immersive moment of action with nice directional flow. Third – Creative. We wish the insect’s eyes were in focus because it is so integral to the photo. 

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Header”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Hurdler Falls”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Out At Second”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Home Plate Leap”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Touchdown”

Judge’s comments: First – Energetic facial expressions. Sharp with nice lighting, Second – Solid moment of impact and great job following the athlete after they fell. Nice and sharp. Third – Decisive moment. Great action. Love the angles of the players. Great composition. HM Amazing action captured at home plate. The only reason it is not higher is because we cannot see either athletes’ faces, so it’s harder to connect with. Lacking more emotion. 

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Cheer”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Coach Pant”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “State Champs”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Rainy Round”

Judge’s comments: First – The repetition of the red hats draws your eye right to the subject of the image. The break in repetition is eye-catching. Wonderful composition. Nice expression + lighting. Second – Nice capture and context of the surprise splash. Third – Emotion. Good celebration photo.

Portrait
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Miguel Angel Jimenez”
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Song Writer”
3rd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Golfer”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Yakubov”

Judge’s comments: First – Superb cigar smoke in action shows the mystery of your subject. High contrast lighting with repeating colors is a nice juxtaposition. Second – This portrait is nicely lit. Also, details included in the frame help tell the story of the musician. Looking at the portrait you feel like you know the person. Photographer did a good job of making them feel comfortable. Third – Nice effort into the portrait setup without overloading the image. Great action and technically complex. 

Story/Essay
1st – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Bailey Funeral”
2nd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Tornado”

Judge’s comments: First – The first three images are your strongest. Look for details and more unique moments. The last two images are more generic and don’t add much in portraying the story of this particular veteran. Second – The strongest image is the third frame because of the human element. Photos generally could be better composed. Instead of having so many wide shots, focus on details of the damage. Vary your focal length to add more variety in images. 

Illustration
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Doughnuts”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Curry”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch,”Hopper”

Judge’s comments: First – The doughnut image is enticing and appetizing. There’s a lot of repetition in shapes and color with the doughnuts and background. Looks intentional. Love the color! Second – Nice aerial angle and contrast in design of the tablecloth. Good intention in the composition. Third – This drink is well-lit and looks very appealing in design and color.

Judged by Eileen Meslar from the Omaha World-Herald and Olivia Sun from the Colorado Sun

May 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Port Clinton Flood”
2nd- Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Plane Crash”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “West Jefferson Shooting”

Judge’s comments: Spot news is all about how much information you can get in one or two well-crafted images so I was looking for context clues, and strong or interesting compositions. 

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Meeting”
2nd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Memorial Mural”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Graduation”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fire School”

Judge’s comments: For moments like these, when a photographer has the ability to plan ahead, make a pie-in-the-sky photo list, I look for that element of planning ahead. I ask myself if I can see where their essence of planning came into play, how they used the environment or extenuating circumstances to their advantage and how they use little details to tell a better story in one image. 

Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “WWII Vet”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Pool Prep”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Harmony Betts”

Judge’s comments: I was drawn most to strong compositions with layers, leading lines and great use of light. 

Sports Action
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Catcher”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Tripped”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Hoban Pitcher”
HM – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Rain Sprints”

Judge’s comments: With sports action, it’s crucial to know your equipment so in the action, the photographer can be ready to make the picture.  To me, sports action is all about the drama, be it the light, the details, the expressions or the motion, itself. These winners celebrate the love of drama in sports action.

Sports Feature
1st – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Jubilation”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Baseball Mask”
3rd – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Regional Track”

Judge’s comments: It’s impossible to not love a good celebratory or humorous moment! This category was chock full of them so my selections came down to technical details and what kind of visual variety the images each had.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Olivia Johnson”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Volleyball Standouts”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Linda Parra”

Judge’s comments: In this category, I was most drawn to how photographer used light, both naturally and artificially. The opera singer sitting for her portrait with a face mask felt like a particularly poignant detail to celebrate, both photographically and socially. To me, this signaled that the photographer didn’t risk themselves or the person sitting for their portrait if they didn’t have the space to make a close-quarters portrait. A photo is never worth putting someone’s life in danger so kudos to the first place photographer for still making the photo and keeping everyone safe in the making.

Story/Essay
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Harmony Betts”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Organist”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tracy Smith”

Judge’s comments: First and foremost, I was looking for stories with strong visual variety, between composition and content of each picture, individually. I felt these visual stories didn’t have to rely on captions to press the narrative forward, you could look at each picture in sequence and see what story the photographer was trying to tell. 

Judged by Kristen McNicholas, Photo Editor at Discovery Inc.

April 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Police Shooting”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Apartment Fire”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Car Truck Crash”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Doulbe Murder”

Judge’s comments: The images in this category may lack technical perfection and rich captions due to the unpredicted nature of the situations, but the intense emotion and scale of the images elevate them.

General News
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Quinceanera”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Ma’Khia Protest”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Arraignment”
HM – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Wings”

Judge’s comments: The first place photograph captures a strong sense of intimacy and the palette is very well toned. The second place photograph shows a good scale of the size of the event. The third-place photograph is a powerful moment and has great composition. The honorable mention photograph illuminates a quiet moment among a seemingly daily event.

Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Little League Parade”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Fire Training”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Worm”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Window Dog”
HM – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Umbrellas”

Judge’s comments: These feature photographs explore a range of moment-based images and images that focus on light, color and composition more precisely. While some are awarded on expression or human interaction, others are recognized for pictorial qualities.


Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Lacrosse”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Crew Foul”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Track Lines”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Goal Keep Save”

Judge’s comments: The images in this category show a comprehensive understanding of clean backgrounds, long lensing and peak action. Each photograph demonstrates multiple or all of these elements with precision.

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Double Overtime Win”
2nd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Exhausted”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Hug”
HM – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Lacrosse Goal”

Judge’s comments: The first place image perfectly documents an emotional moment and is technically perfect. The second place photograph is clean and very well seen. I applaud the photographer for looking beyond loud moments. The third-place photo shows how the photographer got close and utilized a wider lens for a sports event. The honorable mention image nicely captures a celebration and incorporates layering effectively.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Transfer”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Zora House Founder”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Pilot”
HM – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Karrio”

Judge’s comments: These portraits do a solid job connecting the context of the story to the person being photographed. While some utilize color and composition, others utilize an emotional connection from the person in the image.

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Vaccine Canvassing”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Columbus Police”

Judge’s comments: These photo series show a nice range of work from one day or one event. There is a solid array of photographs and visual approaches.

Judged by Jacob Moscovitch, Photo Editor at the Los Angeles Times

March 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Fire”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Smokey”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Fire”

General News
1st – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository, “Discharge”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Lithophanes”
3rd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hug”

Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Watching”
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Windy”
3rd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Horses”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Backyard Ball”
HM – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tackle”

Judge’s comments: I had a hard time judging this category. They were all strong and brilliant. I want to put an eye on the winning photo that I chose. To me, it was the perfect example of finding out of the box shots among all other pictures one can see. I was mesmerized seeing that photo. 

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Nose”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Masks”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Peek-a-boo”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Flyball”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Defaced”

Judge’s comments: “nose_jal” shows an extraordinary sample of detail shot. I have seen such shots which involved mouth or hair, but a finger touching a nose made the picture. Tight and impactful. The second place in this category was amazing as well. The players wearing mask made it more special. With the audience seeing from the back gave me a sense of place. 

Sports Feature
1st – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Blind Wrestler”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Heart Breaking Loss”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Flex”
HM – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Loss at the Buzzer”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Silhouette”

Judge’s comments: First and second place photos were equally emotion driven. I wish in the “heart breakingloss” photo didn’t have the leg on the far right, but I overlooked it as the moment was so driven. 

Portrait
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Brown Boy Joy”
2nd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Brew”
3rd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Celina Wrestler”

Story/Essay
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Apartment Fire”

Illustration
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Jelly Bean Vodka”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Comeback”
3rd – Barbara J. Perenic, The Columbus Dispatch, “Smoothie”

Judged by Shafkat Anowar/ Associated Press-Chicago Photo Intern 

February 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Rebecca Benson, Rebecca Benson, “House Fire”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, Rebecca Benson, “Double House Fire”
3rd – Barbara J. Perenic, Barbara J. Perenic, “Found”
HM – Barbara J. Perenic, Barbara J. Perenic, “Snow”

Judge’s comments: First and second were strong photos. Third place was a nice moment but could have had a cleaner background and less space around the top.

 General News
1st – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Wedding”
2nd – Barbara J. Perenic, The Columbus Dispatch, “Snow Day”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Red Lights”
HM – Barbara J. Perenic, The Columbus Dispatch, “Mercury”

Judge’s comments: The first two photos had nice composition and nice light. Third place was interesting. In the car photo, the red was a nice contrast to the snow.

 Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Skateboarding”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Evening Walk”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Snow Day”
HM – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Window Walk”

Judge’s comments: First place is a nice moment. Second place had nice lighting. Third was composed well. Our honorable mention was creative and had nice composition.

Sports Action
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Save”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “XC Snowy”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Diving Save”

Judge’s comments: First place was an interesting shot with nice composition. Second place  had nice lighting. Third place was nice and sharp.

Sports Feature
1st – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Snow Bike”
2nd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Gone”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “COVID Fans”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Hoover Celebration”
HM  – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “District Champs”

Judge’s comments: First place has nice composition and a good job of freezing the action. Second place was clever and has a good color palette. Third place has nice patterns.

Portrait
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Easton Cubes”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Curfew”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Serrin Joy”

Judge’s comments: First place is fun and creative, and the lighting is great. The photographer made sure to capture the subject’s personality. Second place is interesting and lit well, and is a good sign of the times. Even though third place is a silhouette, you can still pick up elements of her style.

 Story/Essay
1st – Joe Timmerman, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Snow Plow”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Ice FIshing”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “City League”

Judge’s comments: The stories make us want to know more about the people in them, but all could’ve benefited from a better order and tighter focus. The ice fishing story could’ve been done at a different part of the day for a better visual variety. The basketball story seemed like a normal sports gallery.

 Judged by Brian Wells / The Times Herald, Port Huron, Michigan

January 2021 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “The Can Opener”
2nd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Train Derailment”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “House Fire”

General News
1st – Barbara J. Perenic, The Columbus Dispatch, “Last Stand Rally”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Transition”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Grave Pillow”

Feature
1st  – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Snoebling”
2nd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Skipping”
3rd – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Colorful Court”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Paddle”
HM – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Adoration”

Sports Action
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Basckstroke”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Save”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Tide Touchdown”

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Pick Celebration”
2nd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “National Anthem”
3rd – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Coach’s Reaction”

Portrait
1st – Barbara J. Perenic, The Columbus Dispatch, “Power”
2nd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Day Care”

3rd – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Film Cincinnati”

Story/Essay
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Sugar Bowl”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Officer Stalker”

Judged by freelance photographer Robert Caplin