Kenny Reynolds

1) King James

Every shot in this piece was a winner. The photographer obviously worked overtime capturing the moments for what came across as a photo essay - the reporter track blended in quite nicely. Good, steady sequences helped set the pace in this innovative take on the Denver homeless population. I was glad to see James in his element - in the streets where he had spent many nights himself. This was just a fabulous story.

2) A Rock in Marble Township

It's not easy to make a story about a building visually stimulating, but this photographer did just that through a great variety of compelling shots. The story was told brilliantly - making me feel the emotion of the congregation - especially when it was revealed that the church would be moving soon. This was just a rock-solid piece that caught my eye from the word "go".

3) Neck Guard

This was the only piece among the finalists that I felt had great "news" value. It seemed to be something that the viewers could digest - an important issue for those with children involved in sports. The intro was extremely well done - the nats of the grinder on the skates were perfect. We saw excellent sequences as this photog followed the action brilliantly during the hockey competition. Nicely done.

Honorable Mention - Food for the Soul

This was a very clever story. I liked the juxtaposition of the license plates and the quilting - good writing. Steady photography - good composition and variety of shots throughout. I liked the capturing of the moments in this one - especially when the woman tells the inmate to "watch the language" - priceless. Great action/reaction in this piece.

Katrina (Brown) McCann

#1 King James

This story was beautifully shot. You could take any frame of the story and blow it up to make a work of art. The effort the photographer put in was immense. There was great sequencing, use of lighting, and close-ups. Every shot was composed excellently, and the photographer really defined the word creativity.

#2 A rock in marble township

This was a very heartwarming story. The photographer did a great job making the church come to life. I loved the interview framing, and the photography really carried the story. There was great effort put into this story, and it was a joy to watch.

This story really honored the people and the church in the story.

#3 Neck Guard

I felt like this story really defined the definition of in-depth. This story looked inside a news issue and brought it to life. There was great creativity in this story, and a great visual sense of the importance of the story. I loved the natural moments of a father and son interacting, and this story gave insight into the opinions of teenagers.

HM Food for the Soul

This was a wonderfully shot story. There was great use of nats, close-ups and sequencing.

The interview framing was creative, and I loved the natural moments of the woman interacting with the prisoners.

Scott Hedeen

FIRST PLACE: A tight jigsaw puzzle fused together from beginning to end. Like a line of dominos ...a shots in this story had to lead to the next one to make this story work. The subject matter was solid and despite a true natural moment the storytelling was right on. One of the best pieces of the week.

The second place was a story where the reporter was good... but the photographer better. Good reporters are great thing to have... but to actually have one, and still be better is an amazing thing.

The third is a case of the same. The church story had more compelling in depth quality in it than quilting prisoners. That said, this piece was very solid and natural.

Richard Essex

We had nearly four dozen stories to go through. Each and every one is a masterpiece in its own right, and to choose a winner is difficult...

King James. Very well produced and shot. Each and every shot is very well placed complimented by thoughtful and careful editing.

Rock in Marble Township...Great story with considerable thought and planning. It is difficult to make an old church come alive, but this one did... What can I say? Another KARE 11 classic.

Neck Guard... You can only say "great story" so many times. Here I have to say it again.This story is a lead in any market, and one no producer could possibly reduce..

Kurt Austin

We saw a lot of wonderful stories in this category. King James was the overall favorite. Simply put, this story was a piece of art. Incredibly shot! Every single frame of video was perfect. The use of natural light was fantastic. Great sound editing and shot selection. This story was a joy to watch!

Rock in Marble Township received 2nd. Very well done. Super composition. I loved the subtle nat sound pops that were skilfully woven through out the story. Great teamwork.

Neck Guard, the third place story, had the most "meat" in it in terms of news value. The story followed a junior hockey leaguer after he received a potentially serious cut to the neck during a game. The photojournalist did a nice job of capturing the efforts of his dad to make neck guards a mandatory requirement in hockey games. Very well done.

Honorable mention went to another superbly done story entitled Food for the Soul. Well shot, edited and again, wonderful weaving of nats through out. The composition of many of the shots was outstanding.

I must note that all the winners had the benefit of incredible writing, which really helped bring them to the top. We saw quite a few stories that were very well shot, but the writing was not as crisp as the winners.