The White House News Photographers Association® announced that Calla Kessler of University of Nebraska – Lincoln has been named the WHNPA Student Still Photographer of the Year and in the fifth year of the student video division Andrea Cornejo of University of Florida has been named the WHNPA Student Video Photographer of the Year in the 2018 WHNPA ‘Eyes of History®’ student contest judging on Jan. 20, 2018, at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC.
Full results are available on the WHNPA website at www.whnpa.org.
The judges for the WHNPA 2018 ‘Eyes of History®’ Student still photography competition were Jabin Botsford of The Washington Post, Jim Lo Scalzo of European Pressphoto Agency, and Tom Williams of Roll Call. The video judges were Beth Brown of WRC, Brian Hopkins of WJLA, and Nathan Luna of ABC News.
Commenting on Kessler’s win, Lo Scalzo said, “The entire portfolio had a lot of graphic sophistication – rich with visual elements. I wanted to look at every image twice.” Williams said on Kessler’s photo of a female high school linebacker, “Beautiful light, and the old beat up football and the wind kicking up her hair were nice accents.”
As a returning judge, Botsford noted “I think overall the quality of entries has increased substantially, and I was very encouraged of the future of photojournalism.” WHNPA president Whitney Shefte said “It’s so encouraging to see the future of visual journalism in our student contest. So many of our student members have gone on to successful professions in this industry. We’re so thrilled to award these two young women and look forward to seeing their work in the future.”
Colleges and universities from across the country participated in the video contest, and the judges honored work in a range of categories representing a diverse set of storytelling styles. Student photojournalists from Georgetown, New York University, Michigan State, University of Maryland, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also placed in the contest.
“This was without a doubt the most evenly competitive field we’ve had yet,” said Luna. “It is a testament to the strength of journalism programs across the United States and highlights the collective passion young people still have for our industry.”
Andrea Cornejo won with a story she produced while attending the Mountain Workshop while a student at University of Florida. Anna Muckerman was the runner-up with a portfolio of stories she produced at University of Maryland.
Cornejo and Kessler will be honored at the ‘Eyes of History®’ gala on June 16, 2018 Judging for the professional divisions of still, video and multimedia also took place over the weekend at National Geographic. 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 97-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.
