Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: St. Edward's University Entry Title: Smashing pumpkins: Healing the Earth while healing yourself with It’s On Us and Students for Sustainability Entry Credit: Emilio Casanova Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Dallas College - North Lake Entry Title: Sherie Vance photo Entry Credit: Theressa Velazquez Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Mary Hardin-Baylor Entry Title: Remember 9/11 Entry Credit: Brock Pfrommer Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Tarrant County College - Trinity River Entry Title: Rome in Fog Entry Credit: Thien Nguyen Judge Comment: None
Competition Comment: Thanks everyone for entering the contest this year! Taking the leap toward getting critique is the first step in building your foundation as a visual storyteller. As this is a news competition, I prioritized photographs that had intentional moments and technical components that supported them. Overall, your captions should tell us more about who is in the image and what's going on. There were some captions that weren't too detailed and left me wanting a bit more. In terms of the images themselves, I want to see the full frame be used — crop out distracting elements outside of the "moment" in the image. What's important? Why are we making this image? In environmental portrait, I'm also looking for other elements aside from your person photographed that add to their story. Ask yourself: "How can I layer elements into my photo to help continue tell the story?" You want to leave your audience with a visual treat that keeps them thinking after they click out of your site or put down your publication.