Shoot-Out provides photographers on-location learning opportunity

From the contest coordinator’s notebook: change, evolution the constant in student photojournalism

By Bradley Wilson
CMR Managing Editor

Twice a year, photojournalists come to the College Media Association’s national conventions to share ideas, to meet other college photojournalists and to visit another part of the country. And twice a year about 60 of them choose to learn by doing, participating in the CMA Shoot-Out, an on-site photo competition and critique, an event that has helped students as they begin their work as visual communicators.

BradleyWilson3 — CMR Managing Editor Bradley Wilson is entering his second decade of work with CMA’s on-site “Shoot-Out” for student photojournalists.

Mark Watkins, a participant when he was a student at Georgia College and State University said, “Winning ‘Class Favorite’ at the Shoot-out in Chicago in 2012 was the moment I decided to pursue photography as a career. It was a challenge, and I remember thinking not just how a photograph communicates something, but for the first time how I can communicate something through a photograph. It seems a small distinction, but I think it makes all the difference.”

When I first started helping out with the Shoot-Out, in 2004, students still used film. The contest was limited by how many rolls we could afford to develop, 30. So it didn’t take long to move to a digital paradigm. In 2005, to be precise. Kansas City. The theme for the contest was “Kansas City Portrait.” Then as now, we challenged students to “to get outside that box.”

FIRST PLACE 2005: Nathan Lang, Johnson County Community College (Anne Christiansen-Bullers, adviser) — Kansas City’s 106th homicide of 2005

So, when Nathan Lang came back with a photo of Kansas City’s 106th homicide, we had lots of discussion about everything from covering spot news to ethics. Two years later, with the convention in Kansas City days before a national election and on Halloween, the students had all sorts of fun covering the lively Power and Light District also prompting numerous discussions about everything from lighting to shooting moments.

And get out in the cities, they did — finding cities like Austin just as weird as promised.

THIRD PLACE 2009 Jessica Hodder, University of Miami (Carl Stano, adviser)

“It’s been a few years since my first (and only) shoot-out in Austin. And for those reasons alone, I find it memorable,” said Jessica Hodder now working at the Knight Foundation as a digital communications associate. “At a time in my student career when I was finding multimedia journalism internships increasingly competitive and hard to come by, the shoot-out was a breath of fresh air and a new way for me to connect with other students from around the country around our shared interests. Not to mention, as a first-timer to Austin then, it was a perfect gateway for conference attendees to get out and explore the city they’re in.”

In the years since, hundreds of photographers have submitted hundreds of images for critique, learning everything from how to use sidelighting to get texture in their images to capturing emotional, storytelling moments to writing captions.

HONORABLE MENTION: Laura Pedersen, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (Suzanne Trudel) — THE DEVIL WEARS PALIN - Kansas City resident David Scott shows his ironic side by dressing as the devil and "supporting" the McCain Palin campaign at Pomona Courtyard on Oct. 31, 2008. — HONORABLE MENTION 2008: Laura Pedersen, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (Suzanne Trudel) — THE DEVIL WEARS PALIN – Kansas City resident David Scott shows his ironic side by dressing as the devil and “supporting” the McCain Palin campaign at Pomona Courtyard on Oct. 31, 2008.

LESSONS LEARNED

Indeed, most recently the photographers have had lengthy discussions about the importance of captions and putting them in the appropriate metadata fields to give their images value over time. Even the importance of naming photos with a descriptive name, photo editors attending the session, helps everyone from the photographer to the designer to the editor to the reporter looking for an archive photo of the homecoming queen in five years.

Mark Hertzberg, the now-retired director of photography at the Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin and one of the judges of the Shoot-Out stressed the importance of attention to detail in captions.
“Copy editors do not have time on deadline to track down photographers to double-check captions (and nor should they have to do so). If I am a copy editor and I see routine spelling errors then I have no confidence in the spelling of unusual names or addresses or maybe even in the facts presented,” Hertzberg said. “Captions should be written in AP style, in the present tense and answer the ‘Five Ws (and How). AP picture editors complimented us on our captions. One told me years ago he wished the LA Times would learn from us. Captions should never infer what the photographer thinks the mood or emotion or motivation of a person might be.”
Beyond learning about captions, it’s clear that the Shoot-Out opportunity helped at least some of the participants, including Danielle Veenstra, a photojournalist from the University of Florida, who participated in the Shoot-Out in the spring of 2013 when the theme was “Greetings from NYC” and in the fall of 2013 in New Orleans when theme was “All that Jazz.”
Veenstra said, “I learned so much about people and technique within those short few days than I would have sitting in a classroom. It has encouraged me to pursue a deeper understanding of photojournalism and photography.”
And Timothy P. Riethmiller, who placed first in the 2011 Shoot-Out echoed those sentiments.”Now I know it sounds like gloating but because of the shoot-out I gained the confidence to go talk to people, meet them, and tell their story in a new way. It was a huge learning experience for me,” Reithmiller said. “Thank you so much for the privilege to explore what it means to tell a story through photography.”
So many times photojournalists working for their college newspaper or yearbook get to shoot the grip-and-grin, the football game or a speech on campus. The Shoot-Out gives students a chance to break out, to try something new. They can take chances. They can play with light. They get to meet new people.
Darin Dubinsky, a full time freelance photographer and photo assistant, said “I absolutely loved the shoot out. Every time I went to a different convention and there wasn’t a shoot out, I was sad that there wasn’t one. I really feel the the shout out helps aspiring photographers to get out of their element and photograph people and explore the city.”
Not only do the students participating in the Shoot-out get to view the city in a new light and get to meet new people so do the judges and critiquers.

ENTRANT FALL 2006: Annabelle Ombac, Virginia Tech University (Kelly Wolff, adviser)— Fireworks are shot marking the 2006 win of the St. Louis Cardinals over the Detroit Tigers for the 2006 World Series.

EVOLUTION

When the students shot on film, it was an expensive and time-consuming contest to run. But digitally, the contest evolved along with the profession.

With prints, critiques and judging was easy and on-site. A group of advisers and local professionals gathered in a room with no windows and talked about the images. We often learned just as much as the students about how to approach teaching photojournalism.

About five years ago, this evolved into a group critique on-site. Now, a group of advisers and, often, local professionals look at the images projected on a big screen and share thoughts with the group of participants. Everyone learns from everyone else.

Just as students learn should be learning from every photo assignment back at home with every single assignment, the instructors and professionals modeled a good critique during the Shoot-out.

Then we started doing something fun. Rather than have a bunch of folks judge the images, we started using a fast-critique system in Adobe Bridge to “elect” a class favorite. Some students left disappointed. Some left pumped. All left having learned something about how to improve their photography and their editing processes.

Tiffany Fields said, “I love the way you handle the critique. Everyone gets to get up and say something about their photo, and then other people offer input. Peer critique is incredibly helpful, as is your input. I love that the ‘class favorite’ offers a group of winners on the spot, but a more in-depth judging process offers the actual winner.”

This was particularly fun and enlightening at conventions such as the fall 2006 convention in St. Louis. Our hotel was maybe three blocks from the new Cardinal’s ballpark. And that fall, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series. The town went crazy. The photographers had a blast. One of mine even got a pair of panties from a rather intoxicated woman celebrating on the streets. Moments we’ll never forget even though some lent themselves to becoming part of the photographic record more than others.

FALL 2014 ENTRANT: Alex Mowrey, Slippery Rock University (Mark Zeltner, adviser) — The all-girls Ursuline Academy class of 2016, referred to as the "Skips" by the academy, performed a Lion King medley with lyrics adapted to reflect the school. — FALL 2014 ENTRANT: Alex Mowrey, Slippery Rock University (Mark Zeltner, adviser) — The all-girls Ursuline Academy class of 2016, referred to as the “Skips” by the academy, performed a Lion King medley with lyrics adapted to reflect the school.

ADVICE

The participants, now up to more than 60 at each convention per year, share thoughts with each other about everything from internships to working with editors and advisers. Alex Mowrey, a participant in the New Orleans Shoot-Out in the fall of 2014, working with the theme “All That Jazz” shared some thoughts with his peers.

“I would have to say the most important part of being a photographer is to NEVER stop shooting,” Mowrey said. “I carry my camera with me everywhere I go because you never know what you might see.”

FALL 2012 THIRD PLACE: Darin Dubinsky, Milwaukee Area Technical College (Robert Hanson, adviser) — Reflections of the Chicago Theatre follow a gentleman down to the "L" train system. — FALL 2012 THIRD PLACE: Darin Dubinsky, Milwaukee Area Technical College (Robert Hanson, adviser) — Reflections of the Chicago Theatre follow a gentleman down to the “L” train system.

Dubinsky placed third in the 2012 Shoot-Out in New Orleans when the theme was “Reflections.” He shared a thought similar to those by Al Drago.

Dubinsky said, “Internships, internships, internships. I highly recommend for all aspiring photographers that are in school to apply to as many internships as possible while they can. Do your research on different photographers in your area and email your favorites to see if they are open for you to intern under them. Do this year round, every year until you graduate. This way you will get to gain first hand on the job experience. Every photographer has different styles, and you’ll learn something different from each one. By having several internships you’ll not only learn a lot, but you’ll also form valuable connections to your favorite photographers in your area.”

Danielle Veenstra, College of Central Florida (Rob Marino, adviser) — Keasha Smith, dancer at The Harem, a gentlemen's club, sits outside on her smoke break; both relaxing and enticing new customers. Smith has worked hard her entire life in order to survive and she appreciates attitude and gutsiness when she sees it. The Chicago native lets everyone know that "No couples are allowed, only single people are welcome." — Danielle Veenstra, College of Central Florida (Rob Marino, adviser) — Keasha Smith, dancer at The Harem, a gentlemen’s club, sits outside on her smoke break; both relaxing and enticing new customers. Smith has worked hard her entire life in order to survive and she appreciates attitude and gutsiness when she sees it. The Chicago native lets everyone know that “No couples are allowed, only single people are welcome.”

Veenstra, a photojournalist from the University of Florida, shared thoughts beneficial to all visual reporters.

“Don’t be afraid of people,” Veenstra said. “The worst they can do is tell you to not take their picture. At the photo shoot-out in New Orleans, I took a picture of a working girl and after she told me she was surprised I even came up to her. Most people shied away from her, but as photojournalists we are responsible to photograph moments in time and to remember people, places and events. So, go out there without inhibitions and shoot away. It is our job to capture those moments and emotions.”

And Fields encouraged photojournalists attending the convention to attend.

“Every student photographer should participate in the competition, because it’s an exciting way to explore the city you’re visiting and a fantastic learning opportunity,” she said. “I took everything I learned in Orlando, worked on it, and turned around and won two years later in NOLA.”

FIRST PLACE, SPRING 2015: Adam Ernesto Fuentes, Mt. San Antonio College (Toni Albertson, adviser) — Commuters and tourists alike trail across a statue of George M. Cohan, the father of American musical comedy.The city lights and subway haze transform Time Square into a Broadway stage.

PAST THEMES

Spring 2015 — Humans of CMA
Fall 2015 — Texas, Our Texas
Spring 2015 — One More Day (New York City)
Fall 2014 — Independence (Philadelphia)
Spring 2014 — A Day in the Life of New York City
Fall 2013 — All that Jazz (New Orleans)
Spring 2013 — Greetings from NYC
Fall 2012 — Reflections (Chicago)
Fall 2011 — The City Beautiful (Orlando)
Fall 2010 — The Streets of Louisville
Fall 2009 — Keep Austin Weird
Fall 2008 — Kansas City Portrait
Fall 2007 — D.C. Portrait
Fall 2006 — St. Louis Portrait
Fall 2005 — Kansas City Portrait

10 YEARS OF WINNERS

FIRST PLACE AND CLASS FAVORITE: Don Montrelle Green, Southern University, Advisor Jermaine Poshee, don_green_00@subr.edu “I grew up on the north side of Las Vegas, Nevada in a single parent household with a father that found better things to do than be a father. I watched my mother work two jobs to make sure that the bills were paid and there wasn’t enough money for food. I’ve been without food before sometimes even for days. We scratched, clawed, and begged for an opportunity at sustenance and this taught me to never waste food. When I was younger, I had high aspirations of going to college, and maybe one day in the future I could visit New York City. I could have never imagine that both would happen so soon. I go to an HBCU in Louisiana and I’m in New York attending this wonderful conference and learning so many new things. This city has shown me that any dreams could come true and as long as you work hard and are advantage of a God-given talent, in which writing was my saving grace. Langston Hughes asked a question, What happens to a dream deferred? I live to show you want happens when a dream isn’t. — FIRST PLACE AND CLASS FAVORITE: Don Montrelle Green, Southern University (Jermaine Poshee, adviser)
“I grew up on the north side of Las Vegas, Nevada in a single parent household with a father that found better things to do than be a father. I watched my mother work two jobs to make sure that the bills were paid and there wasn’t enough money for food. I’ve been without food before sometimes even for days. We scratched, clawed, and begged for an opportunity at sustenance and this taught me to never waste food. When I was younger, I had high aspirations of going to college, and maybe one day in the future I could visit New York City. I could have never imagine that both would happen so soon. I go to an HBCU in Louisiana and I’m in New York attending this wonderful conference and learning so many new things. This city has shown me that any dreams could come true and as long as you work hard and are advantage of a God-given talent, in which writing was my saving grace. Langston Hughes asked a question, What happens to a dream deferred? I live to show you want happens when a dream isn’t.

Spring 2016

First place and class favorite | Don Montrelle Green, Southern University, (Jermaine Poshee, adviser)
Second place | Kiarash Abhari, Missouri Western State University (James Carviou, adviser)
Third place | Kainan Guo, University at Buffalo (Jody Kleinberg-Biehl, adviser)
Honorable mention | Greg Babush, Moraine Valley Community College (Ted Powers, adviser)
Honorable mention | Juliana Wall, Cedar Crest College (Dannah Hartman, adviser)
Honorable mention | Michela West, University of Massachusetts Boston (Donna Neal, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Taylor Slifko Austin Peay State University (Jake Lowary, adviser) Aspiring musician and Austin, Texas native, Katy Starr performs at local venue while attracting an obscure fan from Sixth Street Oct. 30. When the stranger appeared in the window Starr was startled but kept playing “Hotel Yorba” by The White Stripes. “I had always grown up playing but it wasn’t until recently I figured out I wanted to do music… It’s my passion," Starr said. — FIRST PLACE: Taylor Slifko, Austin Peay State University (Jake Lowary, adviser)
Aspiring musician and Austin, Texas native, Katy Starr performs at local venue while attracting an obscure fan from Sixth Street Oct. 30. When the stranger appeared in the window Starr was startled but kept playing “Hotel Yorba” by The White Stripes. “I had always grown up playing but it wasn’t until recently I figured out I wanted to do music… It’s my passion,” Starr said.

Fall 2015 Austin

First place | Taylor Slifko, Austin Peay State University (Jake Lowary. adviser)
Second place | Jack H. Taylor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Wesley Lewis & Caitlyn Zhang, advisers)
Third place | Scott Robert Williams, Youngstown State University (Dave Davis, adviser)
Honorable mention | Violetta Valeeva, Missouri Western State University (James Carviou, adviser)

SECOND PLACE: Frank Ladra, San Francisco State University (Rachele Kanigel, adviser) — Passengers of the Staten Island Ferry watch the sun set behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City on Thursday, March 12, 2015. Designed by French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the statue has been a symbol of freedom since 1886.

Spring 2015 New York City

First place | Adam Ernesto Fuentes, Mt. San Antonio College (Toni Albertson, adviser)
Second place | Frank Ladra, San Francisco State University (Rachele Kanigel, adviser)
Third place | Pablo Unzueta, Mt. San Antonio College (Toni Albertson, adviser)
Honorable mention | Steven O’Toole, Tallahassee Community College
Honorable mention | Parker Shoaff, University of Portland (Nancy Copic, adviser)
Class favorite | Skye Duncan, Baylor University (Paul Carr, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Tim Kothlow, California Baptist University (Michael Chute) — Rebellion. Najee Jouyner age 15 moves with speed but grace as he performs numerous tricks at the site.

Fall 2014 Philadelphia

First place | Tim Kothlow, California Baptist University (Michael Chute, adviser)
Second place | Jamie Stricklin, University of Arkansas (Steve Wilkes, adviser)
Third place | Matt Merchant, Kent State University (Mitch McKenney, adviser)
Honorable mention | Rebecca Dietrich, Slippery Rock University (Mark Zeltner, adviser)
Honorable mention | Julie Gurrola, California Baptist University (Michael Chute, adviser)
Honorable mention | Klara Johannesen, John Brown University (Marquita Smith, adviser)
Class favorite | Jamie Stricklin, University of Arkansas (Steve Wilkes, adviser)

THIRD PLACE AND CLASS FAVORITE: Irma Gutierrez Sanchez; Miami Dade College (Manolo Barco, adviser) — One of The Halal Guys of NYC prepares a lamb gyro at the corner of West 53rd Street and 7th Avenue on the chilly night of March 13, 2014.

Spring 2014 New York City

First place | Jessica Christian. San Francisco State University (Rachele Kanigel, adviser)
Second place | Alfred C. Evans, Palm Beach State College (S. Lizabeth Martin, adviser)
Third place | Irma Gutierrez Sanchez; Miami Dade College (Manolo Barco, adviser)
Honorable mention | Aaron Montes, Hispanic News Service (Jody Beck, adviser)
Honorable mention | Tori Addis, Cowley County Community College (Meg Smith, adviser)
Class favorite | Irma Gutierrez Sanchez; Miami Dade College (Manolo Barco, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Tiffany Fields, Lenoir-Rhyne University (Richard Gould, adviser) — The French Quarter is home to artists of all kinds who showcase their talents along the busy sidewalks of its famous streets. One artist, Bo Battle also known as Silverman, performs his work differently. During the busy daylight hours and into the night he sits at the corner of Decatur and St. Phillip without moving an inch. After he closes up shop, his personality shines as bright as his silver skin, offering friendly advice and smiles to all who pass.

Fall 2013 New Orleans

First place | Tiffany Fields, Lenoir-Rhyne University (Richard Gould, adviser)
Second place | Taylor Craig Sutton, University of Georgia (Ed Morales, adviser)
Third place | Bosley Jarrett, Vanderbilt University (Chris Carroll, adviser)
Honorable mention | Crystal Schick, SAIT Polytechnic (Heather Setka, publishing manager)
Honorable mention | Jessica Bills, California Baptist University (Michael Chute, adviser)
Honorable mention | Danielle Veenstra, College of Central Florida (Rob Marino, adviser)

SECOND PLACE: Mark Watkins, Georgia College and State University (Macon McGinley, adviser) — New York native Tajjy Melendez, 21, signs his tagline to the Brooklyn Bridge while his girlfriend Yessinia Paidilla, 19, watches.

Spring 2013 New York City

First place | F. Eileen Taylor, Kennesaw State University, (Amie Mowrey, adviser)
Second place | Mark Watkins, Georgia College and State University (Macon McGinley, adviser)
Third place | Thomas Spenner, Milwaukee Area Technical College (Robert Hanson, adviser)
Honorable mention | Danielle Veenstra, College of Central Florida (Rob Marino, adviser)
Class favorite | Mark Watkins, Georgia College and State University (Macon McGinley, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Philip Vukelich, University of Idaho (Shawn O'Neil, adviser) — Bold heights, new reflections. Miguel Martinez cleans a section of the glass roof overhang above the entrance to Swissôtel, Nov. 3. Martinez and his partner Cesar Gomez give many of the Chicago skyscrapers their reflective shine, including the Trump Tower. “Working up there is amazing. At first I was scared. Everyone is when they start, but now I love it,” Gomez said, whose job regularly brings him hundreds of feet off of the ground into the Chicago skies. — FIRST PLACE: Philip Vukelich, University of Idaho (Shawn O’Neil, adviser) — Bold heights, new reflections. Miguel Martinez cleans a section of the glass roof overhang above the entrance to Swissôtel, Nov. 3. Martinez and his partner Cesar Gomez give many of the Chicago skyscrapers their reflective shine, including the Trump Tower. “Working up there is amazing. At first I was scared. Everyone is when they start, but now I love it,” Gomez said, whose job regularly brings him hundreds of feet off of the ground into the Chicago skies.

Fall 2012 Chicago

First place | Philip Vukelich, University of Idaho (Shawn O’Neil, adviser)
Second place | Shan Huang, Arkansas State University (Bonnie Thrasher, adviser)
Third place | Darin Dubinsky, Milwaukee Area Technical College (Robert Hanson, adviser)
Honorable mention | Mark Watkins, Georgia College (Macon McGinley, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Timothy P. Riethmiller, Taylor University (Donna Downs) — "Welcome to the Freak Show, my dear!" — FIRST PLACE: Timothy P. Riethmiller, Taylor University (Donna Downs) — “Welcome to the Freak Show, my dear!”

Fall 2011 Orlando

First place | Timothy P. Riethmiller, Taylor Unviersity (Donna Downs, adviser)
Second place | Ashton Bowles, Pepperdine University (Elizabeth Smith, Courtney Stallings, adviser)
Third place | Rebehka Blake, Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville
Honorable mention | Name
Honorable mention | Name
Class favorite | Christopher Correa-Ortega, Valencia College (Ken Carpenter, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Mark Samala , California State University - Fullerton — Esmond Davis, 62, waits outside of a salon and barbershop in the Portland area of Louisville, Ky, Friday, Oct. 29, 2010. Davis routinely visits his group of friends on Market Dr. and 29th Ave every morning prior to going to his shift in a factory. — FIRST PLACE: Mark Samala , California State University – Fullerton — Esmond Davis, 62, waits outside of a salon and barbershop in the Portland area of Louisville, Ky, Friday, Oct. 29, 2010. Davis routinely visits his group of friends on Market Dr. and 29th Ave every morning prior to going to his shift in a factory.

Fall 2010

First place | Mark Samala, California State University-Fullerton
Second place | Christopher Carter, Olympic College (Michael Prince, adviser)
Third place | Jack Sinclair, Guilford College (Jeff Jeske, adviser)
Class favorite | Christopher Carter, Olympic College (Michael Prince, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Terry Ting, York University — A Halloween mime attempts at the art of performing a story without the use of speech.

Fall 2009

First place | Terry Ting, York University
Second place | Salvador Chavez, Los Angeles City College (Rhonda Guess, adviser)
Third place | Jessica Hodder, University of Miami {Carl Stano, adviser)
Honorable mention | Abbey Baslock, Johnson County Community College (Anne Christiansen-Bullers, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Chantal Anderson, University of Washington (Kristin Millis, adviser) — John Elbit, a Kansas City senior citizen sits waiting to catch his bus. "I've lived here for the past 45 years, and I still love it," he said. A grandfather of six, living close to his family is most important to him. — FIRST PLACE: Chantal Anderson, University of Washington (Kristin Millis, adviser) — John Elbit, a Kansas City senior citizen sits waiting to catch his bus. “I’ve lived here for the past 45 years, and I still love it,” he said. A grandfather of six, living close to his family is most important to him.

Fall 2008

First place | Chantal Anderson, University of Washington (Kristin Millis, adviser)
Second place | Jordan Wilson, Baylor University (Robin O’Shaughnessy, adviser)
Third place | Chris Asadian, Washtenaw Community Services (Keith Gave, adviser)
Honorable mention | Georgia Rhodes, Michigan State University (Robert Hendricks, adviser)
Honorable mention | Nathyn Gibson, Purdue University Calumet (Jerry Davich, adviser)
Honorable mention | Laura Pedersen, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (Suzanne Trudel, adviser)
Honorable mention | Mike Villa, Biola University (Michael Longinow, adviser)
Class favorite | Nick Schnelle, St. Louis Community College – Meramec (Shannon Philpott, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Evan Falk, Ithaca College (Michael Serino, adviser) — Dennis Sendziol, of Naperville, Illinois, visits the gravesite of Sergeant Robert Potock in Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, Oct. 26, 2007. Sendziol owes his life to Potocki after being rescued by him during the Vietnam War.

Fall 2007

First place | Evan Falk, Ithaca College (Michael Serino, adviser)
Second place | Alex Turco, DePauw University (Lili Wright, adviser)
Third place | Jordan Singer, Savannah College of Art and Design (John Bennet, adviser)
Honorable mention | Michelle White, University of Hawaii (Jay Hartwell, adviser)
Honorable mention | Stephanie Hutto, Coastal Carolina University (Linda Hollandsworth, adviser)
Honorable mention | Evan Falk, Ithaca College (Michael Serino, adviser)

FIRST PLACE: Photo by Annabelle Ombac, Virginia Tech University (Kelly Wolff, adviser) — A local woman paints a picture of famous St. Louis Arch on the Mississippi River bank.

Fall 2006

First place | Annabelle Ombac, Virginia Tech University (Kelly Wolff, adviser)
Second place | Eric Hiltner, Eastern Illinois University
Third place | Crystal LoGiudice, Louisiana State University (Pat Parish, adviser)
Honorable mention | Miranda Depenbrock, Northern Kentucky University (Gayle Brown, adviser)

SECOND PLACE: Nick Loomis, University of Iowa — Kansas City resident Tom Deatherage walks his dog, Max, across Grand Blvd. on the way back to his art gallery after gathering salvaged materials for his artwork on Saturday morning.

Fall 2005

First place | Nathan Lang, Johnson County Community College (Anne Christiansen-Bullers, adviser)
Second place | Nick Loomis, University of Iowa
Honorable mention | Michael Dye, Northwest Missouri State University (Laura Widmer, adviser)
Honorable mention | Kristopher Connor, Frostburg State University (Dustin Davis, adviser)
Honorable mention | Cory Peterson, Madison Area Technical College (Doug Kirchberg, adviser)
Honorable mention | Adam D. Wiseman, University of Missouri-St. Louis (Judi Linville, adviser)
Honorable mention | P.T. Dante Ciullo, Oakland University (Holly Gilbert, adviser)

JUDGES AND CRITIQUERS

Over a decade, dozens of photojournalists, advisers and photojournalism instructors have helped to provide on-site critiques, portfolio critiques and have helped judge the images. All of them have been committed to helping these students grow as visual journalists.

Alex Sanchez, Amy Kilpatrick, Amy Zerba, Austin Dowd, Bill Neville, Billy Suratt, Bonnie Dodwell, Brad Smith, Bretton Zinger, Brian Powell, Bruce Plopper, Bryan Marley, Carole Babineaux, Carrie Pratt, Cary Conover, Chris Burks, Chris Carroll, Chris Gillon, Chris Lusk, Chuck Cook, Cindy Todd, Clif Palmberg, Clint Smith, Colin Donohue, Darlene Bouchard, David Kasnic, David LaBelle, David Massy, David Snodgrass, David Studinski, Denise Nemec, Ed Arke, Elena Jarvis, Ellen Austin, Ellen Banner, Eric Thomas, Eva Cranford, Evan Semon, Frank Robertson, Gary Lundgren, George Bridges, Hillary Hollis, Jackie Dobson, Jamie Lynn Gilbert, Jason Ivester, Jason Martini, Jason Weingart, Jean Santopatre, Jeff Grimm, Jeff Reeves, Jim McNay, Jim Michalowski, Jim Sigmon, Joe Michaud-Scorza, John deGuzman, John Marshall Mantel, Josh Merwin, Judy Walgren, Julie Freeman, Justin Miller, Kathleen Flores, Kathy Daly, Katie Buzdor, Kelby Wingert, Kelly Furnas, Kelly Glasscock, Kelly Morr, Kevin Cathcart, Kevin Dilley, Kevin Kleine, Kingsley Burns, Kyle Ellis, Kyle Grantham, Kyle Miller, Kyle Phillips, Larry Buchanan, Lauren Roberts, Laurie Hansen, Leah Waters, Leo Johnson, Leonard Whitney, Linda Barrington, Lindsey Wotanis, Luis Zapata, Mark Dolejs, Mark Hertzberg, Mark Murray, Mark Zeltner, Matt Hagen, Matt Stamey, Mattie Watson, Michael Hernandez, Michael Koretzky, Michael Prince, Michael Weimer, Mike Anderson, Mike Pittman, Mike Ross, Mitch Ziegler, Mitchell Franz, Nathan Hardin, Nick Pironio, Nils Rosdahl, Orlando Flores, Pat Gathright, Patrick Johnson, Paul Friesen, Peter Huoppi, Rachel Hubbard, Rachel Johnson, Rachele Kanigel, Ray Westbrook, Rex Curry, Rich Riski, Rob Bradley, Rob Chron, Robert Heller, Robert Nulph, Ryan Perry, Sally Renaud, Sam Oldenburg, Sam Womack, Scott Strazzante, Seth Gitner, Sherri Taylor, Sree Sreenivasan, Stan Godwin, Steve Sweitzer, Steven Dearinger, Susan Poag, Susan Skalicky, T.J. Maynes, Tara Haelle, Ted Jackson, Thomas Price, Thomas Hallaq, Todd Maisel, Trey Grissom, William Snyder, William Sutley, Zach Hetrick