Additionally, students from Ohio University, Western Kentucky University, Michigan State University and University of Maryland were honored in other judging categories. Full results are available on the WHNPA website at www.whnpa.org.
The judges for the WHNPA 2016 ‘Eyes of History®’ Student still photography competition were: Tom Williams, Linda Epstein and Gabriella Demczuk. The video judges were Brian Hopkins, Beth Brown, Khalil Abdallah and Nathan Luna.
In discussing Alex Wroblewski’s win, Linda Epstein said, “the portfolio showed a strong narrative throughout all three stories containing strong moments and impactful photos.” Gabriella Demczuk, explained how the portfolio excelled through strong editing and the photographer’s determination showed through to the complete body of work. Still contest chair Kevin Dietsch added, “this year’s student photography contest saw some of the best work ever in the history of the contest. The amount of strong, well edited portfolios containing quality stories and great single images made for a very competitive year.”
Video winner Bartolucci won with a portfolio of three stories including a piece she produced in Malawi. Brown described the work as “storytelling that engaged everyone in the room.” Hopkins said, “Isabella’s willingness to push the envelope blending black and white images with powerful characters and seamless editing left a lasting impression.”
When told about her win by Student Video Chair Bethany Swain, Bartolucci said “I feel so honored. I am incredibly grateful to the people who allowed me to share their stories this year. This award is truly because of them.”
“The WHNPA is committed to helping the next generation of visual journalists as they launch their careers,” said WHNPA president Whitney Shefte. “And we are so proud to honor Alex and Isabella for their outstanding work.”
Bartolucci and Wroblewski will be honored at the ‘Eyes of History®’ gala on June 18, 2016, with round trip transportation via United Airlines to Washington. Judging for the professional divisions of still, video and multimedia also took place over the weekend at National Geographic.
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