Entries were judged at The Austin American-Statesman by director of photography Jay Godwin, photographers Ralph Barrera and Jay Janner, AME for design Sharon Roberts, and lead news designer Scott Ladd.
1st: The Virginian-Pilot, Jan. 21, 2009
“Inauguration 2009”
Team.
Judges’ comments: Sophisticated design with logo to balance page, use of color orange, use of type and good quote at bottom of page. Excellent photograph, seen in many entries, that puts the emphasis on Obama rather than the First Lady. You get a real sense of parade and happiness.
2nd: The Palm Beach Post, March 27, 2009
“Giving at a rapid clip”
Mark Edelson, Greg Lovett, Damon Higgins and Mike Perkins.
Judges’ comments: Great story-telling, you get it at a glance. Good use of a lot of elements, smart design. A little trite with “Going, Going, Gone, but you get the picture.3rd: Los Angeles Times, March 23, 2009
“Woeful calm follows gun battle”
Jeremiah Bogert, Gina Ferazzi and Mark Yemma.
Judges’ comments: Very clean and appealing design. Excellent caption treatment and great storytelling. You get a sense of the story quickly.Honorable mentions:
Judges’ comments: The Oregonian pages of the Inauguration were very well done and could have easily placed.
The Oregonian, Jan. 21, 2009
“The work begins”
Patty Reksten, Randy Cox, Mike Zacchino and Lisa Cowan.The Oregonian, Jan. 21, 2009
“A promise to the nation”
Patty Reksten, Randy Cox, Mike Zacchino and Lisa Cowan.Los Angeles Times, March 16, 2009
“Protest shakes up Pakistan”
Jeremiah Bogert and Dan Santos with photos by Getty Images and The Associated Press.
Judges’ comments: The page is a wonderful example of what an experienced designer can do with great news pictures on deadline. Clean and easy to read.The Oregonian, Feb. 17, 2009
“Thousands rally for Oregon schools”
Frederick D. Joe, Patty Reksten and Lisa Cowan.
Judges’ comments: A wonderful image and very clean design. A superb daily front page.
1st: The Virginian-Pilot, March 29, 2009
“A lost boy returns”
Team.
Judges’ comments: Great combination of design and photography with subtle yet interesting graphic that does not compete with the creative photograph. Great use of a single, straightforward image, and a design concept that entices the reader to read and learn more.2nd: Los Angeles Times, Feb. 28, 2009
“His last hope: A good death”
Mary Vignoles, Liz O. Baylen and Kelli Sullivan.
Judges’ comments: Everyone loved this page and it came close to being first. Excellent portraiture and slices of still life imagery in a concise, simple and yet elegant design. A winner in everyone’s book.3rd: The Oregonian, Feb. 8, 2009
“Eden Ahead”
Jamie Francis, Patty Reksten and Wesley Uno.
Judges’ comments: The three page winners were a class above the rest and this was no exception. The idea of elegant photography and creative design is an element for success, Wonderful imagery, with subtle headline treatment.
Honorable mentions:
The Midland Daily News, Feb. 1, 2009
“No dough for cup of joe”
Nathan Morgan and Ryan Wood.
Judges’ comments: Simple and effective.Judges’ comments: The food pages by The Oregonian and Los Angeles Times were superbly done, taking nicely produced photographs and creating wonderful and enticing pages.
The Oregonian, Feb. 3, 2009
“Sweet essence of coconut”
Beth Nakamura, Mike Davis, Vickie Nesbit, Richard Jester and Martha Holmberg.Los Angeles Times, Feb. 11, 2009
“Spread Love”
Richard Derk and Robert Gauthier.Judges’ comments: The Los AngelesTimes continues to amaze us with their page space. The two stories on hospice and parenthood make us long for more good photo stories. These had wonderful photography and good caption treatment.
Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2009
“Hospice in danger of closing”
Rob St. John, Robert Gauthier and Kelli Sullivan.Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2009
“Sharing the gift of parenthood”
Rob St. John, Liz O. Baylen and Mike McKay.
1st: The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Jan. 30, 2009
“Or fin, un momento para celebrar”
Mark Edelson, Greg Lovett, Mike Perkins and Em Mendez with photos by Getty Images and The Associated Press.
Judges’ comments: “Wow”, that’s what we all said. This page simply was a cut above. Any words you can use to describe it are probably what came out of our mouths. It’s just pretty. Wisely edited with a wonderful collection of photographs that give the page balance and style. From the bookend photos at top to the dominant centerpiece that everyone wondered how they missed seeing. The dark edges of the ballroom move your eye to the intimate expression of the First Couple.2nd: The Virginian-Pilot, Jan. 10, 2009
“Cease fire”
Team.
Judges’ comments: A close second was another well thought out page with exciting and timely images of a news event. With nothing more than an extended caption as the storytelling device the designer lets the photographs say what the reader needs to know.3rd: The Virginian-Pilot, Jan. 11, 2009
“The George H.W. Bush”
Team.
Judges’ comments: The use of black and white images on a page do something for all of us. Much like the second place winner this feature on the George H.W. Bush commissioned ship uses great design combined with superb photographs to tell the story. The concise captions down the rail are effective as is the breakout quote at top.
Honorable mentions:
The Herald, Feb. 11, 2009
“Hunting for quail”
Justin Rumbach, John Rumbach and Amanda Lucier.
Judges’ comments: We all loved the quail hunting story. It was simple yet effective.The St. Petersburg Times, Feb. 2, 2009
“Steelers soak it in”
Stefanie Boyar, Daniel Wallace, Dirk Shadd, Chris Zuppa, Brian Cassella and Andy Braford.
Judges’ comments: A nice selections of photographs.The Herald News, Jan. 21, 2009
“Barack Obama, our 44th President”
Robert S. Townsend, Dave Adornato, Steve Auchard and Jon Naso, with photos by Thomas E. Franklin, Tariq Zehawi, Getty Images and The Associated Press.
Judges’ comments: The Inauguration page was well done and had some votes for placement.The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Feb. 27, 2009
“Ha comenzado la primavera”
Mark Edelson with staff and wire photographs.The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Jan. 30, 2009
“Una pagina en la Historia
Mark Edelson with photos by Getty Images and The Associated Press.
Judges’ comments: Again the Palm Beach Post and La Palma are leading the way in taking open color pages and turning them into storytelling vehicles using excellent photography.
1st: The Palm Beach Post, Jan. 19, 2009
“Super matchup”
Ron Falch, Tom Elia, Bruce R. Bennett, Mark Bradley with photos by Getty Images and A.P.
Judges’ comments: Great picture used well, helped by keeping the story count down. Clean, concise and simple. A clear winner.2nd: The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, March 13, 2009
“Classico Mundial de Beisbol 2009”
Mark Edelson with photo by Getty Images and A.P.
Judges’ comments: We all want to have an open color page with nothing but pictures, but know that’s not often going to happen. So we voted for one and La Palma does a fantastic job of using staff or wire art and creating nicely designed storytelling pages.3rd: The St. Petersburg Times, Feb. 2, 2009
“Good for 6”
Stefanie Boyar, Brian Cassella, James Borchuck and Zach Wittig.
Judges’ comments: Super Bowl was big in Florida and it showed on several section fronts. This was a winner for good presentation of lots of information and a telling image from the game-winning touchdown.
Honorable mentions:
Judges’ comments: “Auto racing” is an eye-catcher, as are the two Kenseth winners using different treatments of the same lead photo.
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2009
“Auto racing”
George Wilhelm, Michael Hogue and Vic Seper.
Judges’ comments: An eye-catcher, as were the two other racing winners using different treatments of the same event.The Virginian-Pilot, Feb. 16, 2009
“Kenseth soaks it in”
Team.The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Feb. 20, 2009
“Kenseth es el Ultimo de Pie”
Mark Edelson with photographs by Getty Images and A.P.The St. Petersburg Times, Jan. 9, 2009
“Gator reign”
Joe Walles, Stefanie Boyar, Brian Cassella and Julia Wood.
Judges’ comments: The Gator Reign page was inviting and it helps that the action was above the fold.The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Feb. 13, 2009
“Serie del Caribe”
Mark Edelson with photos by Getty Images and A.P.
Judges’ comments: Again, La Palma has the space to tell a story with nothing but good solid photography and informative captions.
1st: Los Angeles Times, Jan 21, 2009
“Obama calls for hope”
Team.
Judges’ comments: A clear winner. Great use of space, and there was lots of it, and design. Superb, breath-taking imagery on all pages, but the majority of the judges liked the risky use of the centerpiece art. Running the lead photo so large gave everyone a chance to pick out dignitaries by face.2nd: Los Angeles Times, 2007 - 2009
“In it together – families struggle with decision”
Mary Vignoles, Rick Loomis and Kelli Sullivan.
Judges’ comments: We applaud the Times for its commitment to this story that followed three Marines through boot camp and their eventual deployment across the country. The design used a good template that provided continuity to the story.3rd: Los Angeles Times, Feb 23, 2009
“The Oscars”
Team.
Judges’ comments: “Wow, can you believe this space?” is how some judges reacted, but in reality the Oscars are, to some extent, LA’s Super Bowl. This section had everything: creative design elements that showcase headlines, breakout quotes, insights, and above all else, wonderful, engaging images. A storyteller from beginning to end, performed on deadline.
Honorable Mentions:
Judges’ comments: Inauguration coverage by newspapers across the country should be commended for their fine use of design and excellent photography.
The St. Petersburg Times, Jan. 21, 2009
“The inauguration of Barack Obama”
Boyzell Hosey, Bruce Moyer, Joe Walles and the design team with staff and wire photos.The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Jan. 30, 2009
“A Una promesa de esperanza”
Mark Edelson, Greg Lovett, Mike Perkins and Em Mendez with photos by Getty Images and The Associated Press.The St. Petersburg Times, March 8, 2009
“Returning to ruin in Gaza
Bruce Moyer and John Pendygraft.
Judges’ comments: Perspective” was very straightforward in approach.The Palm Beach Post/La Palma, Jan - March, 2009
“A traves del lente”
Mark Edelson with staff and wire photos.
Judges’ comments: La Palma had an excellent collection of pages that featured a simple approach to award winning design and photography.
Comments? Corrections? More information? Next quarter's deadline? Contact BUP contest chair Mark Edelson at medelson@pbpost.com.
