BetterBNC

Place Name: First Place
Contestant Name: California State University Fullerton -- Al Dia
Entry Title: Skid Row City Limit
Entry Credit: Brenda Elizondo
Judge Comment: In this competition, there are a number of very strong images, images that pull the reader into the written story. This photograph definitely does that, but it does even more. It tells a strong story practically by itself. We see above the skid row painting a symbol of the city of L.A.. with the huge pile of waste and tents just a few feet away. We see someone just standing near the blue tent simply watching the world around him, and then there is the most important character in the story, the man in white pants walking into the scene, walking into his daily life. You've given us, the audience, the chance to see from the subject's perspective. Excellent work

Place Name: Second Place
Contestant Name: San Jose State University
Entry Title: Protest halts at Papazian's house
Entry Credit: Madilynne Medina
Judge Comment: Mystery is an ingredient of a strong storytelling image that we don't see very often. It’s that element of an image that seems to raise a question that the audience will wanted answered. This image does exactly that. Of course, as soon as a reader checks out the cutline, the question is answered. But before that, an image needs to capture the attention of the audience, and this photograph certainly does that. It's a great camera position (perspective), and the moment, although not over-the-top with action, seems to be the instant right before something huge could happen. Not only did you capture a nice image, you captured your audience. Awesome work.

Place Name: Third Place
Contestant Name: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Entry Title: Best News photograph - Mustang News
Entry Credit: Kyle Calzia
Judge Comment: Amazing opportunities for strong images are often waiting at the edges of an event, and all too often we are so focused on the main action that we miss them. This is a great example of noticing the edges, and finding a unique moment that, when linked with text, becomes a powerful, storytelling image that can pull the audience into the story. This is the kind of work we all hope to do when we leave for an assignment.

Competition Comment: The top images in this part of the competition provide a brief guide on making a storytelling image. One image showed that it is possible to tell a strong story all within the confines of one frame. Another shows that sometimes its the unanswered visual question that pulls the reader into the story. And the lastly, it's often the edges of an event that hold the most powerful images, but we have to be willing to go there. Although three photographs rose to the top, this entire competition was strong -- very strong.

Best News Photograph ( More than 15,000 Students)Back