Midwest – December 2025 – Photo Story/Essay

Judges Comments

We talked a lot about each entry here. First Place had the light and the photographer had great access to the subjects. It could have been edited tighter. Second Place again the photographer had nice access to situations that are not easy to approach. Third Place almost was awarded higher but there was not much impact in the photos and it seemed to be all shot with the same lens. Overall this was a great category with a couple of colorful, interesting stories that didn't place for other reasons. Happy to see photographers spending time on meaningful stories.

Judges: John Starks/Daily Herald (Chicago), Paul Valade/Daily Herald (Chicago), Brian Hill/Daily Herald (Chicago), Joe Lewnard/Daily Herald (Chicago)