Scott Doelling from WBNS-TV in Columbus has won his second straight Ali Ghanbari ONPA Television Photographer of the Year Title. The title is his third, also winning for his work in 2015. Doelling placed in all six categories and won first in three of them.
Chris Reece from WJW in Cleveland placed second in the contest and Joe Comer from WTOL in Toledo placed third. The competition was close as Reece and Comer were only separated by one point.
WBNS in Columbus was awarded Station of the Year. Photographers Bob Donnelly, Bryant Somerville, Marcus Nichols, Scott Doelling, Rich Yedlicka and Dan Pasciak were part of the winning entry.
Michael Driver and the videography staff at WCPQ FOX 13 in Seattle judged this years contest.
The winners are:
Ali Ghanbari Television Photographer of the Year
1st – Scott Doelling, WBNS-TV, Columbus – 43 points
2nd – Chris Reece, WJW-TV, Cleveland – 38 points
3rd – Joe Comer, WTOL-TV, Toledo – 37 points
Station of the Year
WBNS-TV, Columbus
Bob Donnelly, Bryant Somerville, Marcus Nichols, Scott Doelling, Rich Yedlicka and Dan Pasciak
48-hour Feature
1st – Scott Doelling, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Lost A Friend But Got An Angel”
2nd – Joe Comer, WTOL-TV, Toledo, “Lanterns With A Message*
3rd – Chris Reece, WJW-TV, Cleveland, “Care Packages“
General News
1st – Joe Comer, WTOL-TV, Toledo, “Uvalde School Shooting”
2nd – Scott Doelling, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Converters Gone”
3rd – Bill Price, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Columbus Diaper Bank”
HM – Bill Price, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Trump Rally Preview”
In-Depth Series
1st – Chris Reece, WJW-TV, Cleveland, “Don’t Leaf Me Hangin”
2nd – Joe Comer, WTOL-TV, Toledo, “Spanish Heritage Month”
3rd – Scott Doelling, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “They Look Like Me”
Personality Profile
1st – Scott Doelling – WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Wear Your Legacy”
2nd – Chris Reece, WJW-TV, Cleveland, “Scout’s Playset”
3rd – Joe Comer, WTOL-TV, Toledo, “Battalion Chief Leads By Example”
Sports Feature
1st – Scott Doelling, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Want The Lombardi”
2nd – Chris Reece, WJW-TV, Cleveland, “Have A Seat”
Spot News
1st – Chris Reece, WJW-TV, Cleveland, “Water Fire”
2nd – Scott Doelling, WBNS-TV, Columbus, “Off The Grid”
3rd – Joe Comer, WTOL-TV, Toledo, “Wrong Way Police Chase Kills Two”