First Place
May-Ying Lam
The Daily Texan, Univ. of Texas, Austin, Texas

Judge's comments: Great moment, perfect composition. Simple, but effective. This was truly journalistic.

Second Place
Kerry Lentz
La Ventana, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, Texas

Judge's comments: Very creative and appropriate. Extra points for diversity without reverting to a cliché. By putting a little person in front of a wide-angle gazing ball, the photographer does an excellent job of putting the subject’s world in perspective.

Third Place
Lenny Gilmore
The Columbia Chronicle, Columbia College, Chicago, Ill.

Judge's comments: Beautiful lighting and the leather chair gives dignity to a difficult subject.

First Place
Paul Bangasser
Minnesota Daily, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.

Judge's comments: This photo is a visual feast for the eyes and a definite change-of-pace from the usual fare found in typical news consumption.

Second Place
Jacob Kriese
Arbutus, Indiana Univ., Bloomington, Ind.

Judge's comments: This photograph can be interpreted by almost anyone, regardless of culture, and the locale could just as easily be Paris or Dublin as it is Bloomington, IN, which underscores a critical component of a successful feature photograph: universality.

Third Place
Jennifer Au
The Daily, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

Judge's comments: The photographer understands the powerful effect that depth-of-field brings to photography and, when coupled with layers of interesting shapes (especially repeating shapes) as well as high key lighting with contrast and bright colors, ordinary moments, such as actors applying makeup, become magical.

Honorable Mention
Serine Halverson
The Northern Light, Univ. of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska

Honorable Mention
Danny Akright
The Times-Delphic, Drake Univ., Des Moines, Iowa

Honorable Mention
Matt Castro
Kansas State Collegian, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, Kan.

First Place
Kerry Lentz
La Ventana, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, Texas

Judge's comments: Great use of flash, great expression, humorous and very well edited. Great eye.

Second Place
Jeff Schorfheide
The Badger Herald, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

Judge's comments: The panning shot, the perfect composition and the expression makes a very nice photo from what could have been a cliché.

Third Place
Jordan Wilson
The Baylor Lariat, Baylor Univ., Waco, Texas

Judge's comments: Beautiful, simple photo. The face says it all.

First Place
Michael R. Holzworth
MPJ, Syracuse Univ., Syracuse, N.Y.

Judge's comments: This was the most complete story with a beginning, middle and end. We see emotion on the subject's part and get to know him as he goes through his struggle. The shooting style is effective with wide, medium and tight photos and a compelling detail of his legs and braces.

Second Place
Hannah Engelson
The State News, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, Mich.

Judge's comments: This was also a complete story showing struggle on the mother's part, joy in the family and an overall of the home they worked so hard for. The viewer gets a glimpse of the mother's life working at her job and at building toward her new home.

Third Place
Isaac Thomas
The Advocate, Contra Costa College, San Pablo, Calif.

Judge's comments: This was a well-executed fun little feature story giving a good sense of fun at the derby. We love the detail of the skates and the cheering audience member.

Honorable Mention
Stephen Fogg
The Battalion, Texas A&M Univ., College Station, Texas

Honorable Mention
Crista Chapman
Indiana Daily Student, Indiana Univ., Bloomington, Ind.

Honorable Mention
Chris Salata
Chicago Maroon, Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

First Place
Erik Jepsen
UCSD Guardian, Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.

Judge's comments: A very nice action image, shot from a difficult position above the volleyball court. The photographer has captured the player at a peak moment and brings the viewer into the action on the court. The face of the player shows the intensity of the sport. Good exposure and placement of the athlete help make this picture. Nice use of compositional elements.

Second Place
Andrew Rogers
The Daily Texan, Univ. of Texas, Austin, Texas

Judge's comments: Excellent boxing shot. The photographer has captured the follow through of a punch. The sweat drops flying and the angled ropes and background bring the reader to the culmination of the punch.

Third Place
Brian Schneider
The Tiger, Clemson Univ., Clemson, S.C.

Judge's comments: Very creative angle of a time out in basketball. Add to the positioning of the palms up on the coach and the grasped hands of the player and you got several geometric patterns in this picture. Very nice moment.

Honorable Mention
Jeff Schorfheide
The Badger Herald, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

Honorable Mention
Katie Rausch
The State News, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, Mich.

Honorable Mention
William Yee
The Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

First Place
Stephen Maturen
Minnesota Daily, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.

Judge's comments: An excellent example that gets to the root of Spot News Photography: Capturing a decisive moment utilizing a combination of shutter speed, perspective and a touch of “right place, right time”.  This shot both displays and evokes emotion. Wonderfully executed.

Second Place
James Sinclair
The Channels, Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Judge's comments: A magnificent landscape shot that utilizes elements contained in the foreground, as well as directional elements that guide the viewers’ eye through the frame.  Good exposure that maximized color saturation and mid-tones.

Third Place
James Paton
The Reflector, Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta

Judge's comments: An intriguing shot that uses shape and motion to capture the viewers attention.  I particularly like how the photographer did not include the ground as the bottom start point of the frame.  Excellent exposure that simultaneously silhouettes and provides the right amount of detail on the main subject.

Honorable Mention
Sam Ruiz
The State News, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, Mich.

Honorable Mention
Brent Johnston
The Journal, Webster Univ., St. Louis, Mo.