With no drama, but a whole lot of consistency, Kyle Robertson of The Columbus Dispatch has won his fifth consecutive ONPA Monthly Clip Contest Photographer of the Year award.
There have been a handful of photographers in the past who have made impressive three or four year runs, but nothing on Robertson’s current level. Robertson has truly been the king of clips, winning six titles and finishing no worse than second in the contest since 2011.
Robertson matched his 2018 win total with 44 wins again this year. Thirteen of Robertson’s wins were in the portrait category with eight wins for stories and seven wins in sports feature and illustrations.
The only drama in this year’s contest was who would finish second. Co-workers Rebecca Benson and Jeremy Wadsworth at The Blade were locked in battle with Benson holding a slim 30 point advantage. Both photographers had two first place wins in the final month, but Wadsworth added a second and a third to secure the runner-up spot.
Bill Lackey from the Springfield News-Sun place fourth and Eric Abrecht from The Dispatch finished fifth.
Kyle Robertson’s 2019 clip winners
Kyle Robertson’s takes a selfie prior to the Ohio State and Michigan football game at Ohio Stadium in 2014.
2019 Final Point Standings
1st – Kyle Robertson, Columbus Dispatch – 1464
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade – 1204
3rd – Rebecca Benson/The Blade – 1164
4th – Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun – 964
5th – Eric Albrecht, Columbus Dispatch – 884
6th – Adam Cairns, Columbus Dispatch – 764
– Daniel Melograna, Daily Standard – 764
8th – Kurt Steiss, The Blade – 724
9th – Kareem Elgazzar, Cincinnati Enquirer – 554
10th – Shane Flanigan, ThisWeek News – 444
11th – Sam Greene, Cincinnati Enquirer – 442
12th – Fred Squillante, Columbus Dispatch – 342
13th – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images – 334
14th – Amy E. Voigt, The Blade – 284
15th – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal – 258
16th – Scott Heckel, The Canton Repository – 232
17th – Joshua A. Bickel, Columbus Dispatch – 222
18th – Maggie Schroeder, Columbus Dispatch – 176
19th – Joshua Morrison, Mount Vernon News – 148
20th – Alex Conrath, ThisWeek Newspapers – 50
21st – Dave Zapotosky, The Blade – 46