(WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 10, 2019) – The White House News Photographers Association® announced that Ben Martin of ITN Channel 4 News has been awarded the 2019 WHNPA Video Photographer of the Year in the annual ‘Eyes of History®’ video contest. Andrew Smith of CGTN America has been named Video Editor of the Year.
The top award for Martin came after a first-place win for his news feature on Border Separation. Martin’s win also included first place finishes in the Political and White House/Presidential categories. When told of his win, Martin said, “I’m delighted to find out that I’ve won in 2019. My dad taught me to shoot and to love to shoot. And the support of my wife and twin daughters, means I can travel the world to tell people’s stories. I appreciate how lucky I am to be making a living doing what makes me happy. It’s a privilege to do this job, and an honor to be awarded for it.”
Smith won the award as Video Editor of the Year for his first-place finish in the sports category on Wyoming Tourism, Smith said, ” I am shocked and elated by this news. It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers, alongside so many esteemed colleagues. For me, editing is more than part of the job. It is a true hobby. I love the creative challenge and puzzle that every assignment brings. Thank you to the WHNPA, judges and volunteers of the ‘Eyes of History®’ contest. I look forward to celebrating with everyone on June 15!”
WHNPA President Whitney Shefte said, “Congratulations to Ben, Andrew and all of the Video Contest winners. They are elevating video photography and editing to the next level with their fantastic work. We’re proud to have them among our ranks.” The 2019 video contest was a great success because of teamwork and quality of judges,” said video contest co-chair Pege’ Gilgannon.
The judges for the video photography contest were Kristyna Barry, Ruth Morton and Matthew Apthorp. The video editing judges were Katie Barry, Catherine Steward and Brad Wilson.
Morton said, “Ben covered some big stories in 2018 and delivered. He consistently made efforts to get creative interview shots throughout his stories. He captured emotional sound in his day feature “Border Separation,” got an airplane landing sequence with a foreground of onlookers in “Trump” and boxing sequence in “Women Candidates.” He got active interviews and captured moments in “Mexico,” and made time to shoot rock solid, well-composed shots of destruction in his General News story “Wildfires.” Consistently good work to get creative and shoot quality stories.”
Judge Brad Wilson said of Smith’s work, “The sequencing of beautifully selected shots combined with use of natural sound enhanced the stories in a profound way,” said editing judge Wilson. Judge Katie Barry continued “We voted unanimously for Andrew Smith based off his flawless body of work. From the ear to the eye, all senses were flawlessly covered. As a viewer, you felt like you were in the Mississippi grocery store gabbing with the Chinese man with a southern accent or in the white water-rafting boat in Wyoming.”
Judging for the still, multimedia and student contests were also held at National Geographic 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 15, 2019, 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 98-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.
