The judges chose Baysden for the top honor after his body of work garnered first place wins in three categories including Day Feature, News Feature and Sports. When told of his win, Baysden said, “I am humbled and honored to be recognized by the WHNPA. As a photojournalist at a local station, working primarily with day-turns and tight deadlines, it is extremely gratifying to have my work recognized among the most elite and talented photojournalists who work all over the world.”
The judges selected Shlemon as Video Editor of the Year after his first-place finishes in Political/Campaign, Audio, and Day Feature categories. Shlemon said, “Our job is now more important than ever. It’s also exciting and terrifying. I’m lucky to be part of an extraordinary team doing extraordinary journalism.”
WHNPA President Whitney Shefte said, “Chris Shlemon consistently produces outstanding video stories. We’re excited to honor him yet again with this top award. We’re also thrilled to award Chip Baysden with the Video Photographer of the Year Award for the second year in a row. Both of these guys are clearly powerhouses in the industry.”
The judges for the video photography contest were: Stephen Clapper of Newschannel5 WTVF-TV, Nashville; Eli Gardner of WTVR-TV in Richmond; and Tammie Mills of WVUE-TV Fox8 New Orleans. The video editing judges were: Keith Plummer of Plumgood Productions; Chris Wood of News 12 Connecticut; and Donna Hayes of WABC-TV in New York.
Judging for the still, multimedia and student contests were also held at National Geographic over the weekend and full results can be found at: www.whnpa.org.
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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