(WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 27, 2022) – The White House News Photographers Association® announced that Ben Martin of ITN Channel 4 News has been awarded the 2022 WHNPA Video Photographer of the Year in the annual ‘Eyes of History®’ broadcast contest. McKenna Ewen of CNN has been named Video Editor of the Year.
When told of his win by contest co-chair Doug Wilkes, Martin said, “I’m so thrilled to be receiving this prestigious award – none of this could have been achieved without the support of the whole Channel 4 News team. Thank you to them and the WHNPA for this incredible privilege.”
When the judges informed Ewen that he’d won, he commented, “This is a wonderful honor. I have so much respect for my colleagues, who have been producing powerful and important work under difficult circumstances this year. I am grateful to CNN for the opportunity to tell these stories.”
WHNPA President Whitney Shefte said, “Ben Martin has proven himself to be the very best with yet another amazing top WHNPA win. We’re so proud to count him in our ranks and recognize the important, timely work he made in 2021. Congrats, Ben!” In talking about Ewen’s win Shefte went on to say, “McKenna continues to show he is the best of the best by winning this top award yet again. We’re all so proud of him and his tremendous work.” This year marks Martin’s fifth consecutive win as photographer of the year and Ewen’s third consecutive win as video editor of the year.
The judges for the video photography contest were: Brett Akagi of Akagi Media, Katie Campbell of ProPublica and Doug Legore of Doug Legore Media. Judges for the editing contest were: David Herr, Independent; Kristi-Lee Neuberger of NY1 News and Jim MacDonald of CTV National News.
In talking about the work in the photography contest Legore said, “The level of quality photojournalism in this year’s WHNPA Video Photography Contest was outstanding and it was a privilege to assist in the judging process. The stories transported the judges to places and events all over the world and provided us with a front row seat to some incredible storytelling!” Akagi continued, “It’s an honor to judge the great work produced by the WHNPA photographers. The video contest entries and winners showed great variety and skill. The winner of photographer of the year was amazing. They were a master of different styles, showed excellence in each category and produced my favorite story of the entire contest. Do yourself a favor and watch “Asian Hate.”
Editing judge MacDonald notes, “The quality of work from all the entrants – local DC stations, U.S. networks, and international bureaus was truly impressive. The skill and craft shown in all of the submissions was world-class. The best of the best.”
Judging for the still, digital storytelling and student contests were also held virtually over the weekend due to the ongoing pandemic.
Full results from all contests are available on the WHNPA website at www.whnpa.org.
The top winners of the still, broadcast, digital and student contests will be honored at the annual ‘Eyes of History®’ gala later this year in Washington. The black-tie event celebrates all the winning visual journalists. The WHNPA is celebrating its 101st anniversary in 2022.
The White House News Photographers Association is a 101-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the efforts of Washington’s professional visual journalists. 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.
