2011 Picture of the Year Winners
co-sponsored by National Press Photographers Association
New this year: NSPA is honoring up to 10 entries in each category of the Individual Awards. The top five entries in each category have been announced as finalists, and will be announced as first through fifth place winners later at the fall JEA/NSPA convention in Minneapolis. Up to five honorable mentions have additionally been awarded in each category. The honorable mentions are not ranked.
News Picture
First Place
Aaron Groene
The Talon, Free State HS, Lawrence, Kan.
Judge’s comments: What a moment. The viewer can just travel around the frame and pick out each of the subjects’ reactions to the boy winning homecoming king. Just a great feel-good moment. The caption further illuminated the situation and one has to believe the newly crowned king will remember this moment forever.
Second Place
Maggie Louis
The Gazette, Granite Bay HS, Granite Bay, Calif.
Judge’s comments: One of the most difficult situations to photograph for any photojournalist. Even the most seasoned. It never gets any easier. The photographer did a great job of finding the right angle and used the right lens to record this poignant moment. Great picture.
Third Place
Lindsey Hartnett
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Judge’s comments: Photographers really need to be careful when using a fisheye lens. In this situation it worked pretty well since the picture couldn’t have been made any other way. Nice job of balancing the picture and also making a great exposure. Way to go in not using a flash. A flash, besides being annoying to the subjects, would have ruined this image’s mood. Use existing light whenever you can and if you ever need to use a strobe, try to mimic the existing light with the flash. Don’t let a strobe draw attention to itself.
Fourth Place
Alyssa Johnson
Cub, Sterling HS, Sterling, Kan.
Fifth Place
Tori Caudill
The Crimson Crier, Sparkman HS, Harvest, Ala.
Honorable Mention
Lauren Kastner
Odyssey, Francis Howell Central HS, St. Charles, Mo.
Honorable Mention
Elisabeth Dillon
The Eagle Angle, Allen HS, Allen, Texas
Honorable Mention
Emily de Santos
Stampede, Burges HS, El Paso, Texas
Feature Picture
First Place
Elliot Parkman
The Lion, McKinney HS, McKinney, Texas
Judge’s comments: Fun situation made even better by a well-written caption. The fact that the kid challenged this behemoth of a man and would up having to use two hands (only to lose) makes a good situation even better. The picture is also well-composed with a good moment.
Second Place
Danielle Norton
Hauberk, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Judge’s comments: Quirky, quirky, quirky. Great find. The composition works extremely well and the color couldn’t be any better to add separation.
Third Place
Alessandra DeCostanzo
The Standard, American School in London, London, England
Judge’s comments: Wow. Tough lighting, but dramatic. The picture also has a lot of depth and layers.
Fourth Place
Jake Collins
Pilot, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Fifth Place
Toffer Mohr
The Prowler, Providence Sr. HS, Charlotte, N.C.
Honorable Mention
Casey Simmons
El Paisano, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas
Honorable Mention
Katharina Backscheider
Hoofbeats, Burges HS, El Paso, Texas
Sports Action
First Place
Caitlin Dailey
Indian, Shawnee Mission North HS, Overland Park, Kan.
Judge’s comments: Great peak moment. The image is so tight and the depth of field is so shallow we at first thought it was an “almost” image. Then we noticed the glove and ball were the point of focus and it vaulted it to first place.
Second Place
Paul Mathieson
El Paisano, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas
Judge’s comments: This picture has a lot going for it. A last-ditch attempt at a tackle. Some nice motion blur. Some space for the runner to head towards. Good faces. Good color and light. Good job.
Third Place
Parker Pamplin
Hornet, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.
Judge’s comments: Really nice use of graphics and composition in this action shot. A different looking picture to be sure and that’s what drew us in.
Fourth Place
Sylvia Czyszczon
Spartan News Network, Lakewood HS, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Fifth Place
Eric Muenchen
Spark, Lakota East HS, Liberty Township, Ohio
Sports Reaction
First Place
Sally George
Crimson, duPont Manual HS, Louisville, Ky.
Judge’s comments: Great job of being invisible. Sometimes a good photographer can slide into a situation and nobody notices them. This is a great example. Nice tension and the crowd offers the same excitement, but is out-of-focus enough for the viewer to go directly to the cheerleader’s face.
Second Place
Megan Kilian
Pioneer, Kirkwood HS, Kirkwood, Mo.
Judge’s comments: This picture has a lot going for it. The monochromatic overall image with the subject in red. Muddy, sloppy conditions. Not to mention the body language of the player. Sweet.
Third Place
Jake Collins
Pilot, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Judge’s comments: Great moment and great composition. The light is also pretty darn sweet for a high school gym.
Fourth Place
Elisabeth Dillon
The Eagle Angle, Allen HS, Allen, Texas
Fifth Place
Kelci Davis
Central Focus, Francis Howell Central HS, St. Charles, Mo.
Honorable Mention
Hannah Kunz
Featherduster, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas
Environmental Portrait
First Place
Mike Desocio
Inkblot, Communications HS, Wall, N.J.
Judge’s comments: Very well composed image of a boy and his chicken. The quality of light is great as is the texture of the background.
Second Place
Samantha Mueller
Cub Reporter, Lawrence Central HS, Indianapolis, Ind.
Judge’s comments: Moody image with lots of feeling. The small amount of red on the gloves and ropes offers just enough spot color to add a little punch. The high-key light wraps around the fighter to offer dimension.
Third Place
Ben Chesnut
Marksmen, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas
Judge’s comments: Well thought-out and executed image of what could have been an extremely boring situation. The photographer went above and beyond for this portrait.
Fourth Place
Paige Plaskitt
The Dragon, Johnston HS, Johnston, Iowa
Fifth Place
Jake Riesberg
The Express, Blue Valley Northwest HS, Overland Park, Kan.
Honorable Mention
Andrea Zecy
Hauberk, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Honorable Mention
Grant Heinlein
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Junior High/Middle School
First Place
Madeline Malhotra
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.
Judge’s comments: Well composed and the movement is captured well by allowing the background to blur with a slightly slow shutter speed. The moment is what really sells this image.
Second Place
Edson Montenegro
[NOW], Mirman School, Los Angeles, Calif.
Judge’s comments: Another fun image where the photographer got really close to the subject and composed the elements well. Especially like the hand coming in from the top corner of the frame to lead into the subject.
Third Place
Mazelle Etessami
The Spectrum, Harvard-Westlake MS, Los Angeles, Calif.
Judge’s comments: Great color and flames. The subject is silhouetted against the light background nicely.
Fourth Place
Danielle Ledgerwood
Parousia, Maranatha Christian Schools, San Diego, Calif.
Fifth Place
MaKenna Zoglmann
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.