South – September 2018 – Photo Story/Essay

Judges Comments

Easily the best category. We could have given awards to each entry. With that said, only five stories were submitted. But the five that were submitted really captured the category's essence. First place: "Can we see that again?" That is why the story of the earthquake in Mexico and subsequent recovery won. It was an interesting visual and intellectual pairing of before and after pictures of the devastation of the earthquake in Mexico City. The pairings spoke directly to a long standing photojournalistic tradition of pairing before and after images. And it was done with great care. The construction of each image showed patience. Look closely and you'll see people strategically placed in each photo adding compelling information. Second place: A well crafted and intimate look at an elderly couple struggling with being apart because of illness and necessary care. It was an intimate view looking from the inside out the yielded strong story telling images. Third place: This story was well executed. A look in to a small community on the brink of being swallowed up by development. Each photo carried to the next with some great moments.

Judges: Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel, Jim Evans/Former Morning Sentinel, Niko Hample/Freelance