Jessica Phelps from the Newark Advocate and Meg Vogel from The Cincinnati Enquirer have been chosen Ohio News Photographers of the Year for 2020 by the Ohio News Photographers Association.
Phelps, who recently moved to Texas to join the staff at the San Antonio Express-News, put an exclamation point on her career in Ohio. This is the seventh consecutive year that Phelps has won the small market POY title. Phelps won Best of Show for her news picture story entry, “Life Locked Up in the County Jail,” one three first place wins in picture story categories for her. Phelps also won the Ron Kuntz Sports Photographer of the Year Award.
Best of Show – Jessica Phelps/Newark Advocate, “Life Locked Up in the County Jail” – The Coshocton County jail is the second least compliant jail in the state of Ohio. The jail, which was built in 1972 was originally built to house 65 inmates. When the state of Ohio implemented their code system it was determined only 15 inmates could safely be housed in the jail. Today there are usually around 80 inmates and as many as 90 serving their time in the building.
This is the third consecutive year Vogel has take top honors in the large market and her fourth POY title overall. Vogel also had first place wins in feature, pictorial and product illustration.
Forty-three visual journalists from across the state submitted 596 entries in the 70th annual news photography contest.
Carlin Still from Ohio University won the Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year award. Michael Blackshire from Ohio University placed second.
The James R. Gordon Ohio Understanding Award was awarded to The Columbus Dispatch for their entry “Political Climate of Southeast Ohio.”
Judging the still competition were Erin Hooley from the Chicago Tribune, Lisa Krantz from the San Antonio Express-News and an adjunct professor at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. They were joined by Nate Smallwood, a photojournalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Judges for the Multimedia division were Carrie Cochran from the Scripps Washington Bureau’s investigative team and Jarrad Henderson from USA Today’s Investigative and Enterprise video unit.
Kyle Robertson from The Columbus Dispatch was named Clip Contest Photographer of the Year from points accumulated in the Association’s Monthly Clip Contest. This is Robertson’s sixth consecutive clip title and seventh overall.
POY 2020
George A. Smallsreed, Jr. Photographer of the Year (Small Market)
1st – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate
George A. Smallsreed, Jr. Photographer of the Year (Large Market)
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer
2nd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch
Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year Award
1st – Carlin Stiehl, Ohio University
2nd – Michael Blackshire, Ohio University
3rd – Lauren Santucci, Ohio University
Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship
1st – Tanner Pearson, Ohio University
2nd – Grace Wilson, Ohio University
James R. Gordon Ohio Understanding Award
1st – The Columbus Dispatch, “Political Climate of Southeast Ohio”
Best of Show
Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Life Locked Up in the County Jail”
Monthly Clip Contest Photographer of the Year
1st – Kyle Robertson, Columbus Dispatch
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal
Staff of the Year (Large Market)
1st – The Cincinnati Enquirer
2nd – The Columbus Dispatch
3rd – The Blade
Staff of the Year (Small Market)
1st – Newark Advocate
Election 2020
1st – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Election Day 2020”
2nd – Laura Bilson, Ohio University, “Election Anxiety”
3rd – Gaelen Morse, Ohio University, “Bloomberg Campaign”
Award of Excellence – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Dancing”
Feature
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Ultraviolet”
2nd – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Hair Cut”
3rd – Albert Cesare, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Faith Coronavirus Pandemic”
Award of Excellence – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Tapwater”
Award of Excellence – Katie R Forbes, Freelance, “Julius Tate”
Award of Excellence – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Learning From Home”
Award of Excellence – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Quinterpino”
Feature Picture Story
1st – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Living on Love”
2nd – Carlin Stiehl, Ohio University, “Maryland’s Watermen”
3rd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Lifting Their Voices”
Award of Excellence – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Renters”
General News
1st – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pandemic Revolt”
2nd – Jessica Phelps, Jessica Phelps, “A Mother’s Embrace”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Road Rage”
Award of Excellence – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Dia Funeral”
Award of Excellence – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Day of Distance Learning”
Award of Excellence – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Todd’s Guns”
Issue Illustration
1st – Joe Timmerman, Ohio University, “Dan and the Cedar”
2nd – Daniel Melograna, The Daily Standard, “Hazmat Football”
3rd – Abigail Dean, Ohio University, “Women in Sports”
News Picture Story
1st – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Life Locked Up“
2nd – Joshua A. Bickel, The Columbus Dispatch, “George Floyd Protests”
3rd – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Lockdown With Residents”
Award of Excellence – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “BLM Protest”
Pictorial
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Masked Judges”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Fans in Blue”
3rd – Fred Squillante, The Columbus Dispatch, “Colorful”
Award of Excellence – Lori King, The Blade, “Cultivation”
Portrait Personality
1st – Madeleine Hordinski, Ohio University, “Sabina”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “I Can’t Breathe”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Rev. Prentiss”
Award of Excellence – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Scared Mother”
Award of Excellence – Madeleine Hordinski, Ohio University, “PJ Bolden”
Award of Excellence – Gaelen Morse, Ohio University, “Eyes on Justice”
Product Illustration
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Baker’s Table”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Jam Cake”
3rd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Salad”
Award of Excellence – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Bread”
Ron Kuntz Sports Photographer of the Year
1st – Jessica Phelps, Newark Adovcate
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch
Sports Action
1st – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Crunch”
2nd – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Near Interception”
3rd – Albert Cesare, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Head On”
Award of Excellence – Alex Conrath, Freelance, “Upper Arlington Touchdown”
Award of Excellence – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Tate Catch”
Sports Feature
1st – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jump”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Champs”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Steam”
Award of Excellence – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek Community News, “Double OT Loss”
Award of Excellence – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Memorial Without Fans”
Sports Picture Story
1st – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “The Season That Almost Was”
2nd – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Trevell Adams”
3rd – Jessica Phelps, Newark Advocate, “Coaching Creates Deep Roots For Croom Family”
Spot News
1st – Kareem Elgazzar, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Standoff”
2nd – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade, “Grief”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Officer Killed”
Award of Excellence – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Rocking Chair Rescue”
Award of Excellence – Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Pepper Spray”
Team Picture Story
1st – The Columbus Dispatch. “Social Distancing”
2nd – The Blade, “Protests Erupt”
3rd – The Blade, “Officer Killed”
Multimedia Photographer of the Year
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer
2nd – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch
Audio Slideshow
No entries
News Video
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer “Elder community mourns Bob Jamesl”
2nd – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer “Love in the Time of Coronavirus”
Feature Video
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Covid-19 Mom”
2nd (tie) – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Election Bond”
Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Spring Freeze”
3rd (tie) – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Outdoor School”
Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Summer of Violence”
Award of Excellence – Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch, “Church Windows Restored”
Sports Video
No entries
Documentary Video
1st – Meg Vogel, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Surviving a School Shooting”
2nd – Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch, “I Took a Life”
Team Video
1st- The Cincinnati Enquirer, “2020: The Year That Revealed Us”
2nd – Ohio University, “Just Wanted to Remind You”
3rd – The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Religion and Coronavirus”