2010 Picture of the Year Winners

co-sponsored by National Press Photographers Association


News Picture

First Place
Valerie Yermal
Tribal Tribune, Wando HS, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Judge’s comments: Interesting way to shoot what could be a boring assignment. Well-composed and instantly conveys what the story is about.

Second Place
Jared Servantez
Mount Carmel Sun, Mount Carmel HS, San Diego, Calif.

Judge’s comments: An original way to cover an event we’ve all seen before. No need to have a human face to convey sadness.

Third Place
Christine Bergene
The Heights Herald, Columbia Heights HS, Columbia Heights, Minn.

Judge’s comments: Well-composed photograph capturing a moment of the president being welcomed to the area.

Honorable Mention
Ally Hill
The Tiger, Dawson County HS, Dawsonville, Ga.

Honorable Mention
Ben Gittelson
The Southerner, Henry W. Grady HS, Atlanta, Ga.


Feature Picture

First Place
Zach Maher
Shield, Thomas Downey HS, Modesto, Calif.

Judge’s comments: Seldom is a feature photo so provocatively good at first glace in a contest of this scope, that is, a national contest, that it can be tagged as the likely first place winner. However, the wonderful combination of the rich bath of red hue coupled with a perfect crop of low shadow reflection and motion-enriched silhouette set this photo apart from all the others from the outset. While the activity captured is clearly obvious – a dance rehearsal or performance – the succulent eye-feast of color and motion blur together with the unusual juxtaposition of the dancers and their poses, evokes an almost mystical moment that could perhaps be an exotic religious or cultural ritual of a non-Western heritage. Sometimes the ordinary moment, through a photographer’s artistic eye, can be transformed into something extraordinary. Feature photography in photojournalism, with its non-time dependent character, allows this kind of creativity. And readers relish this kind of offering in print and online. Since, as the old saying goes, ‘fortune attends those who are prepared,’ luck has happened at the moment of capture. Executed in full manual mode, this eloquent photo exhibits the technical, artistic and photojournalistic excellence required to set it above all the rest this year. But what is most pleasing is that the photographer clearly pre-visualized his intended final product and, with no doubt many out-takes beforehand, produced a dramatic photograph that exudes his desire to please his audience and demands the viewer’s attention and appreciation. Well done!

Second Place
Whit Pruitt
The Prospective, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.

Judge’s comments: Hometowns love their sports heroes especially when those heroes are the rising stars of their high school teams. What hometowns love along with their rising stars are the loyal, indefatigable team supporters who show up rain or shine to urge their athletes on. Small market newspapers, team magazines and local websites thrive on featuring these fans and team volunteers because each member of the community can relate to the passion and enthusiasm these people display. Team members and their families really enjoy and appreciate the support they get from die-hard fans. Capturing all that energy and passion in a single shot while telling a “fan story” is de rigueur for a feature photographer. Whit nailed it with a pre-planned location, excellent framing, great timing, powerful use of depth-of-field, splendid color balance and the perfect stop-action shutter speed. If a photographer can make the viewer exclaim “wow” with the sense of “being there,” what you’re looking at is always a prize-winning photo. Good job!

Third Place
Leila Farhood
El Paisano, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas

Judge’s comments: The key to Leila’s winning photo can be summed up in the phrase: “up close, personal and in the middle of the action.” A good photojournalist puts her audience in the center of the activity with a front-row seat so they feel immersed in the event and can experience the story. Leila has done this superbly with terrific framing at the height of the action with an excellent focal length. The lens barrel distortion under extreme wide angle close up only enhances the sensation of being “right there” with our nose at table’s edge. The same lens and focal length choice also exaggerates the sizes of the figures in the frame and draws our eyes right into it. The mood of the contest, the frenzy of activity and enthusiasm of the participant’s coach all collaborate for a great photo that would be a wonderful feature in any newspaper or magazine.

Honorable Mention
Maddie Moll
Pioneer, Kirkwood HS, Kirkwood, Mo.

Judge’s comments: If photography is “light-writing,” then knowing when less is more can make a special photograph. Part of feature photography is capturing ordinary moments that simply bring a smile to viewers, which is a change from the routine hard news we’re all exposed to in the media (to paraphrase Prof. Ken Kobré). This is such a photo. It is a pleasantly lit, appropriately framed and presented slice of adolescent life in a “rite-of-passage” moment. The expressions on all the faces offer viewers plenty to think and smile about, especially teenage boys in the “Stand By Me” age group. The exposure was technically corrected well in-camera manually for the difficult lighting conditions and the light our aspiring barber was snipping by was blocked by the photographer’s good framing yet dramatically highlights the actors and activity. This is a slice of Normal Rockwell-esque small-town Americana life and something quite enjoyable.

Honorable Mention
Sarah Hashek
Governor, John B. Connally HS, Austin, Texas

Judge’s comments: This photograph is appropriately titled: “Perspectives.” Feature photography is all about bringing new angles of thought to human activity through visual media. If any photo articulates the morphing of human experience from analogue to digital, this feature portrait certainly does. Utilizing the technique of frame-within-a-frame in an extremely novel way, and augmenting the photograph with multi-layering through precise depth-of-field, Sarah has radically exposed the dynamic of the abstraction of humanity through digitalization of our everyday experience. It is a photograph that is worthy of continuous reflective thought and one that any media outlet would be able to use to illustrate a story about digital technology’s impact on social relations. A great “perspective.”

Honorable Mention
Ryan Azad
Las Animas, Gilroy HS, Gilroy, Calif.

Judge’s comments: Elements of feature photography that rarely get the attention they deserve when photojournalists are under deadlines are: space, size, scale and their relationship to one another. Ryan has captured a good study of all of these critical components in a single moment. This photo shows the student choir and its teacher conductor hard at work participating in harmonious teamwork juxtaposed under one of the most profound quotes about the purpose of education by of one of our country’s most vocal advocates of human cooperation. This moment sings volumes about Ryan’s framing and timing and ability to capture a message with a photograph. The low angle chosen by the photographer emphasizes the volume of the cacophonous hall and one can almost hear their voices filling the huge space in the auditorium.


Sports Action

First Place
Hannah Kunz
Featherduster, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas

Second Place
Rob Denton
Aerie, Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Third Place
Daniel Fallon
Pilot, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Honorable Mention
Gareth Patterson
The Prospective, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.

Honorable Mention
Chelsea Duchamp
Libro de Oro, Marcos de Niza HS, Tempe, Ariz.

Honorable Mention
Zach Maher
Realm, Thomas Downey HS, Modesto, Calif.


Sports Reaction

First Place
Anna Petrow
Hauberk, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.

Judge’s comments: Perfect moment, great composition.

Second Place
Adam Harrel
The Panther, O’Fallon Township HS, O’Fallon, Ill.

Judge’s comments: Great picture…guys in the background help…you can feel the coach’s intensity.

Third Place
Lauren Moore
South Paw, Park Hill South HS, Riverside, Mo.

Judge’s comments: Great moment…great expression…great timing. Excellent job.

Honorable Mention
Gennie Avellino
Pinnacle, Rockwood Summit HS, Fenton, Mo.

Judge’s comments: Great picture. Really tells the story.

Honorable Mention
Alexis Abercrombie
Tonitrus, Rocklin HS, Rocklin, Calif.

Judge’s comments: Wonderful moment.

Honorable Mention
Zach Maher
Realm, Thomas Downey HS, Modesto, Calif.

Judge’s comments: Really great moment… each subject tells a story.


Environmental Portrait

First Place
Henry Ehrenberg
Prep Press, University Prep HS, Seattle, Wash.

Judge’s comments: Good job balancing natural light with strobes, skillful use of just the right props including the flag and perfect composition set this one above the others.

Second Place
Gareth Patterson
The Prospective, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.

Judge’s comments: Well-composed using the pool ladder to take the eye down to the swimmer’s face.

Third Place
Mackenzie Wylie
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.

Judge’s comments: Good use of moody lighting and perfect placement of the subject with her drawings. It is instantly clear what she does.

Honorable Mention
Maddie Moll
Pioneer, Kirkwood HS, Kirkwood, Mo.

Honorable Mention
Andrew Visconti
Invictus, Ward Melville HS, Setauket, N.Y.

Honorable Mention
Suzie Reecer
The Spartana, Homestead HS, Fort Wayne, Ind.


Junior High/Middle School

First Place
Mazelle Ettesami
The Life and Times, Mirman School, Los Angeles, Calif.

Judge’s comments: Beautiful, lyrical, professional. Makes you feel what it’s like to be out there.

Second Place
Adam Fioretto
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.

Judge’s comments: Excellent… you don’t need action to say what practice was like. You are there.

Third Place
Jordan McCrary
The Masterpiece, Bak MS of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Judge’s comments: We have all been there. The expressions on the students tell the story of what it’s like to dissect the pig. Great job.

Honorable Mention
Tess Saperstein
The Portfolio, Bak MS of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Judge’s comments: Very creative… excellent perspective.