January 2002
Spot News
Judges' Comments: There were not a lot of entries in this category, but the category was fairly strong.
1st Place

Attempted Overpass Jump
Mark Saltz
The Advocate
Baton Rouge, LA
Judges' Comments: Unanimous pick which exemplifies good spot news photography. The photographer was in the right place at the right time with the right equipment and got the shot. The judges felt the sense of urgency and determination in the policemen's faces as the struggled to keep the man from jumping.
2nd Place

Canine-one-one
Sanford Myers
The Times-Picayune
Madisonville, LA
Judges' Comments: Almost overlooked as a pet feature until one of the judges read the cutline. At that point, all the judges became enrolled in the photogaph as a different spot news picture from a unique situation. It made us laugh, although we sympathized with the poor dog. Good job! Additionally, the judges would like to make note of the importance of a well-written cutline to enhance the storytelling of the picture.
3rd Place

Three Children Injured in Car Wreck
Bruce Maxwell
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Arlington, TX
Judges' Comments: Solid picture and a true moment from the wreck.
General News
Judges' Comments: General news was a competitive category.
1st Place

War and Insanity, Hand in Hand
Damon Winter
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, TX
Judges' Comments: This was a different look at the effects of Taliban rule and the judges felt that the one image alone spoke volumes about the war and its effects. So many of the Afghanistan photos that were entered in the category were pretty pictures, but they didn't tell us anything or advance our understanding of the war and its effects on the human condition. Winter's photograph hit the mark.
2nd Place

Killer Mines
Jerry Lara
San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio, TX
Judges' Comments: The judges really liked the depth and quality of photographic reporting from the Killer Mines piece. We noted the spot coverage in the series as well. There were a lot of strong images and it was evident that a lot of time was spend in the fields of Mexico for this story.
3rd Place

Therapy Session
Mona Reeder
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, TX
Judges' Comments: Photo showed good composition and captured the subject's tension.
Sports
Judges' Comments: Overall the quality of work in this category was standard. Lots of bread-and-butter loose ball shots in basketball, running plays in football, etc. Emotion and reaction moved us more than pure action. There was some debate over the top two spots.
1st Place

Snowy Sugar
Bill Feig
The Advocate
Baton Rouge, LA
Judges' Comments: Clean and easy to read.
2nd Place

Missed Free Throws
Michael J. Gallegos
The Albuquerque Tribune
Albuquerque, NM
Judges' Comments: We liked the fact that the photographer and picture editor left the space around the player, adding to his feeling of isolation and despair.
3rd Place

Jarring Hit
Khampha Bouaphanh
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth, TX
Judges' Comments: Peak moment from a ball-jarring hit.
Feature Single
Judges' Comments:

1st Place

Campus Honors King
Sung Park
Austin American-Statesman
Austin, TX
Judges' Comments: Struck the judges because of its composition, color and moments amongst the kids in the front row. Everyone's eyes are focused ahead except for the two on the end. We can only imagine what the third child is thinking. That key moment within the moment delighted us.
2nd Place

Kabul Youth Fight
Damon Winter
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, TX
Judges' Comments: Great moment between seven year olds fighting in a Kabul neighborhood. The photographer was able to capture how a game turned into real violence between two kids. A powerful image which shows the intense anger in this situation.
3rd Place

Kabul Bathers
Damon Winter
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, TX
Judges' Comments: The photographer let highlights and shadows really give the viewer a feel as though they're in the public bathing room. Strong composition.
Feature Multiple
Judges' Comments: First and second place were clear winners in this category. The judges engaged in much debate over third place, as the overall quality of work dropped considerably after first and second place. Most of the entries had redundant images which hurt their strength. Tighter editing would've helped most entries in this category.
1st Place

White Rock Lake
Damon Winter
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, TX
Judges' Comments: White Rock Lake really captured the beauty and essence of the place. Simply beautiful work.
2nd Place

Afghan Child Labor
Damon Winter
The Dallas Morning News
Dallas, TX
Judges' Comments: One of the better Afghanistan entries from Region 8. The images were compelling and worked to tell a provoking story.
3rd Place

Stunted Growth
Jen Friedberg
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth, TX
Judges' Comments: Emerged as a winner as the photographer captured the essence of a community's decay and abandonment. Nice use of imagery and device with the black borders to convey a desolate and time-passed-us-by feel. Great thought and execution on a tough-to-illustrate subject.
Judged By: (Chair) Swayne B. Hall, Picture Editor/Photojournalist, The News & Observer, Robert Miller, Photo Assignment Editor, Joh Hansen, Picture Editor, Scott Lewis, Photojournalist, Tosh Tanaka, Photo Imaging Director (Region 6)
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