Jabin Botsford, a staff photographer with The Washington Post, won first prize in the News Picture Story, Domestic News, and Portfolio categories. “Being singled out in this sea of Washington photographers, all working at the highest caliber at the top of our field, is truly incredible,” Botsford said. “I am very grateful to The Washington Post Director of Photography MaryAnne Golon for her unwavering support and all the opportunities she has given me. The photographers and photo editors I work with at The Washington Post help guide me every day and I am truly thankful for their experience and encouragement.”
Andrew Harnik’s image of Hillary Clinton in front of the press gaggle on her campaign plane was selected as Political Photo of the Year. Harnik said, “To have my work selected as the political photo of the year by my first real mentor (who was one of the judges this year) was a surreal experience. I have Chris Usher to thank for getting my career started. For this work to rise to the top in his eyes so many years later really means the most to me.” Harnik said. “It was one of the honors of my lifetime to be given the opportunity by my boss David Ake to cover Clinton’s historic campaign for the Associated Press. I spent one of the most exhausting and fun years of my life on the road with the most talented photographers in the country who I have looked up to since I was a kid – and I feel truly blessed to get to call them my friends.”
In commenting on the WHNPA ‘Eyes of History®’ contest winners, President Whitney Shefte said, “We are so proud to honor Jabin Botsford with our top award in photography. It’s incredible to see our younger generation of photographers excel, making it clear that our industry is in good hands going forward. We also congratulate Andrew Harnik for winning Political Photo of the Year with his powerful image of Hillary Clinton. Harnik and WHNPA’s other political photographers did a tremendous job covering such a contentious campaign.”
The judges for the 2017 ‘Eyes of History®’ stills competition were: Brad Smith, Melissa Lyttle and Chris Usher. Still Photography contest chairman Harnik said “The judges did an amazing job bringing an insightful and thoughtful critique to this year’s WHNPA contest. We congratulate all those who participated in making this year’s contest great. We could not do this without the participation of the committee and volunteers.”
The multimedia, video and student competitions were also judged at the National Geographic Society over the weekend.
The top winners of the still, video, multimedia and student contests will be honored at the annual ‘Eyes of History®’ gala on June 10, 2017, at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington. The black-tie event celebrates all the winning photojournalists and the President of the United States. Nearly 1,000 guests, including government dignitaries and industry celebrities, attend.
The White House News Photographers Association is a 96-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the efforts of Washington’s professional photojournalists. The WHNPA aims to provide professional and educational outreach to its members and the community through scholarships, programming, an annual competition and a celebration of the industry at the annual “Eyes of History®” gala.
For more information, please contact Whitney Shefte at president@54.85.141.172 or executive director Heidi Elswick at heidi@54.85.141.172 (301-606-8251). For further information about ‘The Eyes of History®’ and to view the winning images and videos, visit the WHNPA website at www.whnpa.org.
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