Judge's Comments

'The State Funeral of Ronald Wilson Reagan', by USAToday.com, was the unanimous winner for our Best Multimedia Package for large affiliated sites. The panel of judges found this package one of the most complete presentations of online storytelling in the areas of photography, audio and design. The judges also recognized the attention to detail in the mixture of photos, as well as the piece’s coordination of the superb audio with the photography. Several on the panel also acknowledged the package’s ability to display its photos successfully regardless of the design’s horizontal space allocated for its images. And on the single occasion of using the vertical photo of the cathedral interior, the photo appropriate panned from top to bottom. The package’s fitting and dramatic pacing elevated this piece to the number one position.

New York Times’ 'The Next Wave: The New New Yorkers' received a second place in this category. In the end, this package’s compelling storytelling won the panel’s favor. The judges also recognized the piece’s successful integration of the speakers and the images on screen. In addition, the story’s tight visual and audio edit, as well as the informative graphic map, elevated this piece to second place. Areas for improvement include: user control of navigation, audio level consistency, and more visual insight provided into the writer’s everyday life and environment.

MSNBC’s 'The Year in Pictures' placed 3rd in this category. The panel recognized the package’s collection of stunning and powerful photos throughout the past year. I, for one, recognize this site as the only entry in this year’s competition to actually allow user feedback and ability to vote, in this case, for a favorite photo.

Andrew