2025 ONPA  Annual Contest Winners

George A. Smallsreed, Jr. Photographer of the Year (Small Market)
1st – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter

George A. Smallsreed, Jr. Photographer of the Year (Large Market)
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade
3rd – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch
Award of Excellence – Kurt Steiss, The Blade

Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year Award
1st – Loriene Perera, Ohio University
2nd – Akash Pamarthy, Ohio University
3rd – Sandra Fu, Ohio State University

Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship
1st – Benjamin Pennington, Ohio University
2nd – Ayiana Andrella, Ohio University

James R. Gordon Ohio Understanding Award
1st – Akash Pamarthy, Ohio University, “Sikh Ohio”
2nd – Loriene Perera, Ohio University, “Chesterhill: An Appalachian Mosaic“

Best of Show
Pearl Spurlock, Ohio University, “Midwife Examination”

Monthly Clip Contest Photographer of the Year
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade
2nd –  Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal
3rd –  Rebecca Benson, The Blade

Feature
1st – Pearl Spurlock, Ohio University, “Midwife Examination”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Sunlit Prayers”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Tough Mudder”
Award of Excellence – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Polar Plunge”
Award of Excellence – Courtney Hergesheimer, “Damarion Allen”
Award of Excellence – Liz Dufour, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “First Day”

Feature Picture Story
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Naturalization Ceremony”
2nd – Loriene Perera, Ohio University, “Chesterhill: An Appalachian Mosaic “
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Narrative Medicine”

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Crash”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Vows”
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Masters Eclipse”
Award of Excellence – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Flag Retirement”
Award of Excellence – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Protest”
Award of Excellence – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Vigil”
Award of Excellence – Phillip L. Kaplan, The Blade, “Mr. Mayor, I Play Tennis”

Illustration
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Smoke Signals”
2nd – Phillip L. Kaplan, The Blade, “Ramp Butter”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Eclispe”
Award of Excellence – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Old Fashioned”

News Picture Story
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Valley City Frog Jump”
Award of Excellence – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Lakeview Tornado”

Pictorial
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Snowflakes”
2nd – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Wildart Salamanders”
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Hoops”
Award of Excellence – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Butterfly”

Portrait Personality
1st – Courtney Hergesheimer, The Columbus Dispatch, “Jail Deaths”
2nd – Pearl Spurlock, Ohio University, “Opossum”
3rd – Thomas Fetcenko, Freelance, “Matt Cummings”
Award of Excellence – James D. DeCamp, Freelance, “Adopted”
Award of Excellence – James D. DeCamp, Freelance, “Drain Doctor”

Ron Kuntz Sports Photographer of the Year
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter
3rd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch

Sports Action
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Collision”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Brawl”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Upside Down”
Award of Excellence – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “John Daly”
Award of Excellence – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Steal Home”
Award of Excellence – Kristin Bauer, The Chronicle Telegram, “Wrestling”

Sports Feature
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Johnny Gaudreau Memorial”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Finish Line”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Battle”
Award of Excellence – Akash Pamarthy, Ohio University, “Brutal”
Award of Excellence – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Game Winner”
Award of Excellence – Sam Greene, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Rookie Splash”

Sports Picture Story
1st – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “The Masters”
2nd – Adam Cairns, The Columbus Dispatch, “Johnny Gaudreau”

Spot News
1st – Marshall Gorby, Dayton Daily News, “Wild Hose”
2nd – Marshall Gorby, Dayton Daily News, “Dog Rescue”
3rd – Marshall Gorby, Dayton Daily News, “Tears”
Award of Excellence – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Windham Tornado”
Award of Excellence – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, “Tornado Aftermath”
Award of Excellence – Liz Dufour, The Cincinnati Enquirer, “Lakeview Tornado”

Feature Video
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Sports Video
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Documentary Video
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Contest judges

Swayne Hall
Freelance; formerly, AP

During a photojournalism career that spanned more than 35 years, Swayne worked at multiple news organizations: Wilmington Star-News, The Daily Reflector, Fayetteville Observer-Times, The News & Observer, Houston Chronicle, Arizona Daily Star and The Associated Press.

He has photographed everything from pets of the week and Ku Klux Klan rallies to NCAA college basketball tournaments and U.S. Army supply drops in Haiti. Swayne has also edited onsite everything from the U.S. Open golf tournaments and the World
Series to the Oscars.

After spending more than 16 years as a photo editor at the AP, based in New York, Swayne left corporate America in 2024 to start a new venture as a solopreneur. He now primarily works as a freelance copywriter helping B2B companies market their products and services to other businesses, in addition to writing grant proposals for nonprofits.

In his personal time, the North Carolina State alum loves spending time with friends and family, especially his son, Sawyer, 12. He loves traveling, watching sports, playing the saxophone and enjoying a good cigar.

Caroline McCone
Visuals Editor, The Ohlahoman
https://www.oklahoman.com/

Caroline McCone is a photo editor, art director and visual storyteller originally from Northwest, Arkansas. She received her bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international studies at the University of Kansas, continuing her education at the University of Missouri to receive her master’s degree in journalism with a focus on photo editing and project management.

During her time in Missouri, she worked as a photojournalist, photo editor and Assistant Director of Photography for the Columbia Missourian, KBIA and VOX Magazine. She is currently the Visuals Editor at the Oklahoman in Oklahoma City.

Kent Porter
Visual Journalist, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/

Kent Porter has worked in the field of photojournalism since 1983, first as a teenager in Lake County, California, then on to Midland, Texas and finally to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat were he has been employed as a visual journalist for nearly 38 years.

He is a seven time photographer of the year in the NPPA’s West Region with four second place finishes; 2022 NPPA Small Market Photographer of the Year – third place, 2021; and, 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner for Breaking News Reporting. He is also an award winner in the California Newspaper Association (CNPA) throughout his career.

Kent is single with one son who is a firefighter, and his interests include weight training, storm chasing, reading and travel.