Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the ONPA Board of Directors have decided to postpone this year’s annual seminar, which was scheduled to take place at the end of March at Ohio University in Athens.
Judging for the Multimedia and Television divisions of our annual contest is currently ongoing. Judging for the Still Image division, scheduled to take place during the seminar weekend at OU, will still take place, but will be closed to minimize potential exposure to the virus. We’re currently finalizing an alternate venue for our Still Image division judging, as the Schoonover Center at Ohio University is now unavailable. Judging for this division will be live-streamed and is scheduled to start the afternoon of Friday, March 27 and conclude Saturday, March 28. The live-stream will also be archived for members to view at their convenience.
Earlier this week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration encouraged cancellation or postponement of any large groups or meetings in order to slow the spread of the virus. Yesterday, Ohio University directed all in-person classes to be moved online until at least the end of the month, and directed all meetings, groups or events on campus to cancel or postpone, including our seminar and judging.
This wasn’t a decision we came to lightly, and we know the judging and seminar is the highlight of the year for many of our members. We plan to find an alternate date for our seminar later this year, and will pass along information for that as soon as possible. We know many of you were planning to attend, and we deeply apologize for the inconvenience this causes. We hope you’re able to join us later this year, and will work quickly to finalize details for the seminar.
We take the safety and health of our members and the public seriously, and felt that this action was the most responsible thing to do. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I can always be reached via email at onpaprez@gmail.com.
We value everything you do to advance visual journalism in Ohio, and thank you for your patience and understanding.
Joshua A. Bickel
President, Ohio News Photographers Association