NPPA: Best of Photojournalism 2008 Still Photo Winners

Random Winner:

3rd Place, Photojournalist of the Year (smaller markets)

Emily Rasinski/The Evening Sun

Dorothy Corcoran, Margaret Zepp, and Rita Crook are caught off gaurd as the Easter Bunny makes an appearance at Golen Visions Senior Center in Hanover. The senior center had an Easter Egg hunt for the senior citizens who attend and their families.

Judging for BOP 2008 is now complete. Congratulations to all the winners!

The Awards Ceremony will be held in conjunction with Convergence08 and the Multimedia Immersion in Louisville, KY the last week in May.

Come celebrate the winners, and learn from the best in still, video and multimedia.

Archived versions of the free daily webinar about the contest are being offered by Poynter and NewsU. Join Kenny Irby to learn about learn what impressed the judges, what ethical issues arose in this year’s entries, and how multimedia storytelling is affecting photojournalism.

Best of Photojournalism 2008 Winners

March 29, 2008

Photojournalist of the Year (large markets): A portfolio of work created for a publication with over 115,000 circulation. All Wire services, Agencies and Magazines are part of this group. (See the Portfolio Rules for further details.)

March 28

Photojournalist of the Year (smaller markets): A portfolio of work created for a newspaper with less than 115,000 circulation. Portfolios of work created for Wire services, Agencies and Magazines should be entered in the large-market Photojournalist of the Year category, OPY. (See the Portfolio Rules for further details.)

Cliff Edom's ‘New America Award’: In urban communities and rural towns, the spirit of diversity is celebrated and witnessed in everyday life. Our goal is to recognize award winning photographic storytelling about communities, groups, and issues in America that are often under-covered in the media. Acknowledging the genius and effectiveness of Cliff Edom's vision, approach, and passion for teaching, we ask you to contribute your entries. (Cliff Edom (1907-1991) began his experimentation in photographic education in 1943, his purpose was to provide access to the community life of a small town (and local communities) for photographers so that they could hone and develop photojournalistic skills.)

March 27

Best Published Picture Story (smaller markets): This category is designed to celebrate a meritorious body of work that has been documented, vetted and published for an audience in the classic journalistic tradition. The story should be compelling and relevant to the viewing and reading audience. (A story published by a newspaper with less than 115,000 circulation. Pictures created for Wire services, Agencies and Magazines should be entered in the large market Best Published Picture Story category, OPS. Pictures created for non-traditional publishers should be entered in the Non-Traditional Photojournalism Publishing category, NTP.)
Best Published Picture Story (large markets): This category is designed to celebrate a meritorious body of work that has been documented, vetted and published for an audience in the classic journalistic tradition. The story should be compelling and relevant to the viewing and reading audience. (A story published by a publication with over 115,000 circulation. All stories published by Wire services, Agencies and Magazines should be entered in this group.)
Enterprise Picture Story (large markets): A non-news picture story or essay on a single theme. Stories that use humor or focus on the lighter side of life are well suited to this category. (A series of pictures created for a publication with over 115,000 circulation. All stories created for Wire services, Agencies and Magazines should be entered in this group.)

International News Picture Story: A series of photographs of an event outside the U.S., Canada, or Mexico that depicts a story line or single theme centered around a spontaneous event. This may include spot news coverage or issue reporting. (Photographs of news stemming from natural disasters such as storms or earthquakes should be entered in Environmental Picture Story.)
Enterprise Picture Story (smaller markets): A non-news picture story or essay on a single theme. Stories that use humor or focus on the lighter side of life are well suited to this category. (A series of pictures created for a newspaper with less than 115,000 circulation. Pictures created for Wire services, Agencies and Magazines should be entered in the large market Enterprise Picture Story category, OES.)
Investigative Issue Picture Story (NEW): A picture story or a collection for authentic storytelling photographs that uncover an insightful perspective based on deep research, revealing access and “watch-dog” reporting by an individual or a team of no more than three photojournalists. (The story must thoroughly explore an under-covered issue, and be accompanied by a 250 word statement of objective.)

March 26

Domestic News Picture Story: A series of news pictures recording events in the U.S., Canada or Mexico that depicts a reporting line or single theme where the reporting instincts and skill of the photographer are manifest. This story may be spot news or issue reporting.
General News: Recognizing that much of the daily news coverage is planned in advance, we seek to reward outstanding achievement based on creativity and timing at organized events such as general meetings, promotional events and staged coverage opportunities.
Environmental Picture Story: A picture story that focuses on the natural world and its components: landscapes, flora, fauna, weather, and more. (That appreciation does not mean that the story can only cover pristine environments: Environmental Picture Stories can also depict the destruction, neglect, or recovery of natural resources; or the human impact of a natural disaster.)
Enterprise: A photograph of a ‘found situation’ that features strong human interest elements, or a fresh view of an everyday scene. A picture that uses humor or focuses on the lighter side of life is well suited for this category.

International News: A photograph of a spontaneous news event outside the U.S., Canada, or Mexico with global impact that was created without advance knowledge, planning, or preparation. (Photographs of news stemming from natural events such as storms or earthquakes should be entered in Natural Disaster.)
Natural Disaster: A single image that captures and communicates the devastation wrought by a natural disaster. (Natural Disaster Single recognizes coverage of the human or physical impact of this year's hurricanes, mudslides, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other destructive natural events.)
Local Portrait and Personality: A single photograph that captures a unique aspect of a local figure’s character and personality. This should not be a public figure who is regularly covered in the news, but rather a local heroine, hero, or community member. (Portraits of public figures should be entered in the News Portrait category, NPP.)
Serial Portrait Package: This category recognizes the time-honored tradition of portraiture as a vital mode of storytelling. The unifying theme must be held together by a narrative thread, consistent photographic style and/or compelling environment with an obvious connection between the individuals being documented.
Natural Habitat: A photograph that makes the most of the organic beauty of nature and the graphic qualities of the wilderness, with an emphasis on dramatic composition.

March 25

The Road to Office: A single picture that documents the essence of the campaign trail and its effects on a candidate for elected office.
Domestic News: A breaking news photograph from the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. An event where the photographer does not have the time to plan, but must react on instinct, adrenaline, and news judgment.
Celebrity Picture Story: A picture story that focuses on a person of celebrity status, and goes deeper than the surface coverage of press briefings, or runway and red-carpet photographs. The story must illuminate a facet of celebrity that is compelling, insightful and informative. (Celebrities include elected officials and other widely-known figures as well as actors, rock stars, athletes, and models.)

Sports Photojournalist of the Year: A portfolio of individual sports images, plus an optional Sports Picture Story. (See the Portfolio Rules for further details.)
Sports Picture Story: Any sports oriented subject portrayed in a multiple-picture photographic story structure. All of the pictures should be related to convey a singular story line, point of view or reporting theme related to a sports endeavor.
News Portrait and Personality: A picture that captures a unique aspect of the character and personality of a public figure, celebrity, or elected official who is regularly featured in media coverage.

March 24

Non-Traditional Photojournalism Publishing: This category is designed to celebrate a meritorious body of work that has been documented, vetted and published for an audience via new methods of delivery. The story should be compelling and relevant to the viewer, and push the boundaries of the craft. (A story published by an organization that is not a traditional news publisher: independent publishers, boutique wire services, photojournalism agencies, and so on.)
Sports Enterprise: A sports related enterprise picture that depicts the jubilation of victory or the agony of defeat. The event covered should be separate from the game action or outside of the field of play.
Sporting Field of Play: In a time when sports competition is a worldwide phenomenon, the field of play is a near-sacred locale. A single photograph that conveys the passion and the pageantry of a single competition, on the field of play, but not focusing on the action of the game itself.

Sports Action: A peak action picture that captures the spirit of a sports competition—either on the part of an individual or an athletic team.
Conceptual Photographic Illustration: In this powerful age of computer imagery and digital mastery, the time has come to reward the creative and dramatic works that grace the pages of publications that blend the best of traditional darkroom skills, human imagination, and computer technique. (A photograph may be used as source material for the conceptual illustration, or the concept may be totally artificially produced.)
The Art of Entertainment: A photograph that evokes the phrase “that’s entertainment” — and captures a dramatic quality, theatrical grace, or poetry of motion that is pleasing and soothing to the viewer.

Judging for the Best of Photojournalism is sponsored this year by:

On-site Still Photography judging was powered by Aperture.

NPPA Marketplace:

$10,000 Photojournalism Award: Win $10,000 for your best work from 2008! Enter the Scripps Howard Foundation's National Journalism Awards competition for daily newspaper and wire service photographers. Deadline: Jan. 31. Entry form: www.scripps.com/foundation
NPPA Photo Club: Your digital workflow demands the best gear. And your NPPA membership entitles you to the best prices on all the great stuff in our web store.
Join the NPPA: NPPA members receive a wide range of benefits, from educational opportunities to mentoring, discounts on equipment, insurance, business tips, and much more.