Baysden won first places in numerous categories in both editing and photography. Judges in both divisions talked about his solo effort in shooting, editing and producing a mesmerizing piece on the Old Guard soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Chip wove the sights and sounds of those who guard the tomb with the narration of one of the guards in a way so masterful that when the piece was done screening, the judges sat silent, looked at each other and finally said that “21 Steps” set the bar for anything that they would judge during the weekend. The only other person to take both top awards in the same year was Travis Fox in 2002.
When told of his win, Baysden said, “I spend my day on one story then the next day, I’m onto another story. It’s very satisfying to be able to win both divisions as a local news photographer. I am very honored and excited since I know that there was other excellent work I was competing against.”
Contest co-chair Doug Wilkes said of Baysden’s wins, “Chip has also been driven to top himself in many creative ways. His attention to detail in every aspect of his work, from unique and unpredictable angles to the sounds that usually go unnoticed, is impressive and inspiring to those who see his work. He was destined to receive this honor.” WHNPA president Whitney Shefte added, “It’s so rare that one person wins both video photographer and editor of the year. Kudos to Chip for his outstanding work! And special thanks to all of our volunteers and judges for a very successful 2016 contest.”
The judges for the video photography contest were: Peter Cinnante, Kim Fatica and Megan Mackel. The video editing judges were: Tony Bielat, Tom Bjelic and Mark Sogofsky.
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 18, 2016, 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 95-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.[/press_release]
