Judges' Comments

First place

The initial photos in this slideshow were static (they were taken by the reporter, Michael Marizco), but the images increased in power as the show progressed. Once photographer Kelly Presnell became involved in the story, the journalists' access to the Lopez family paid off with intimate, emotional images. Some of the images were particularly powerful; the little boy peeking out a window with broken blinds; Reyna Lopez clutching her son, Noe, after he arrived safely from Mexico; and the family praying together over their first meal together. The photos reflected a strong bond of trust between the subjects and the journalists, and a dedicated effort by Presnell to be with the family for the key moments of their early days together.

The slideshow was cleanly designed and easy to navigate, and the narrated soundtrack spoken by reporter Marizco, complimented the sequence of photos. A map that tracked the boys' journey was helpful but was more cumbersome than need be. The text on the leading page would've benefitted from having some of the photos integrated into the story, and the page was a surprisingly long scroll.

This was a story where access and execution were significant hurdles, and we congratulate the journalists at the Star for overcoming them so successfully.

Second Place

"Showdown" began with a nicely designed intro page, using a strikingly composed photo by John Stanmeyer and carefully placed text and navigation. Stanmeyer's photos carried this site, and the editors and designers were wise to present the work with a simple, clean presentation. The photos led us through the election story with visual intrigue and complexity that played well off the airy presentation The contact sheet provided a user-friendly navigation tool and benefitted from careful cropping of the photos into thumbnails. Some sites we reviewed used dozens of photos that became redundant. This thoughtful edit gave us 11 photos that told the story in a compelling narrative. We questioned, however, the use of space it took to repeat the story summary on every page; more white space would have been more appealing.