Winners of National Pictures of the Year announced

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA RECOGNIZES TOP PHOTOJOURNALISTS OF 2012

VANCOUVER, April 28, 2013 /CNW/ - The News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC) is pleased to announce the winners of its 7th annual National Pictures of the Year (NPOY) awards competition, handed out during the National Pictures of the Year Gala event held April 27, 2013 in Calgary, Alberta.

With this year's nominees selected from thousands of images and multimedia submissions from across the country, judges were once again overwhelmed by the outstanding body of work from which to select this year's winners, note NPAC NPOY Organizers, Jonathan Hayward and Carmine Marinelli.

"Great photos tell great stories - they have the potential to transport viewers to a different time and place and the power to evoke an experience unlike any other medium. Nowhere is this more evident than in the photographs nominated for 2012," says Hayward. "Selecting this year's winners was an incredibly difficult task, but our judges feel they have chosen the photographs that best established a connection with their subjects."

From Chris Pike's extraordinary picture of a Middle East Caving Expeditionary Team member enveloped in a pocket of sunlight as he scales the ninth largest cave in the world to Deborah Baic's heart-wrenching photo of Toronto mourners grieving the loss of their son and brother, a 14-year-old gun-shot victim, the winning photojournalists take the viewer on a journey across the globe, capturing an incredible cross section of life this year.

"The range of photos submitted by this year's nominees captured some of the world's most impactful moments of the year - both poignant and joyous," says Marinelli. "We are confident that with their judges combined knowledge and experience, our judges have made the best possible selection."

The News Photographers Association of Canada's 2012 National Pictures of the Year Winners Are:

General News - Sponsored by CNW Group

1. Deborah Baic - The Globe and Mail (Toronto mourners)
2. John Lehmann - The Globe and Mail (Missing women inquiry)
3. Darren Calabrese - National Post (Convention sleeping)

Honourable Mention: Blair Gable - Reuters (Dalton McGuinty)

Feature - Sponsored by The Winnipeg Free Press

1. Tyler Anderson - National Post (Comic Con)
2. John Lucas - Edmonton Journal (Little girl playing tennis)
3. Joe Bryksa - The Winnipeg Free Press (Hearse at drive thru)

Honourable Mention: Eduardo Lima - Freelance (Dancer)

Pictorial - Sponsored by Canon Canada

1. Chris Pike - Freelance (Cave)
2. Jimmy Jeong - Freelance (Wind turbine)
3. Steve Russell - Toronto Star (Zebra woman)

Honourable Mention: Rick Madonik - Toronto Star (Fancy hat)

Picture Story - Sponsored by Leica

1. Ben Nelms - Canadian Geographic / Reuters (Freegan)
2. Ben Nelms - Canadian Geographic (Shark Fin)
3. Marco Campanozzi - La Presse (Egypt)

Honourable Mention: John Lehmann - The Globe and Mail (Boxing Teacher)

Portrait / Personality - Sponsored by Beau Photo

1. Chris Young - The Canadian Press (Blue rodeo)
2. Fred Lum - The Globe and Mail (The bearded man)
3. Peter Power - The Globe and Mail (Leonard Cohen)

Social Issues - Sponsored by Henry's

1. David Bloom - Edmonton Sun (Emergency mess)
2. Christian Laforce - The Chronicle Herald (Sarah Atwel)
3. Bernard Weil - Toronto Star (Hyperbaric chamber)

Honourable Mention: Wendell Phillips - Freelance (Rehabilitation Center)

Single Multimedia - Sponsored by The Globe and Mail

1. Patrick Callbeck - Freelance (They don't Rest)
2. Marta Iwanek - Freelance (A Different Kind of Love)
3. Bernard Weil - Toronto Star (Last Chance)

Honourable Mention: Peter Power - The Globe and Mail (Sierra Leone)

Sports Action - Sponsored by Nikon Canada

1. Mark Blinch - Reuters (Broken leg-football)
2. Didier Debusschere - Journal De Quebec (Bare bum)
3. Steve Russell - The Toronto Star (Soccer)

Honourable Mention: Steve Russell - The Toronto Star (Spinning Diver)

Sports Feature - Sponsored by Lowepro Canada

1. John Lehmann - The Globe and Mail (Jockey)
2. Darren Calabrese - National Post (The boxer)
3. Nathan Denette - The Canadian Press (baseball)

Honourable Mention: Jason Franson - The Canadian Press (Dodgeball overhead)

Spot News - Sponsored by The Camera Store

1. Christinne Muschi - Reuters (Quebec Protest)
2. Nathan Denette - The Canadian Press (Conrad Black Kiss)
3. Louie Palu - Zuma Press (Mexico shooting)

Honourable Mention: Mark Blinch - Reuters  (Toronto shooting)

Team Multimedia - Sponsored by Vistek

1. Ruth Bonneville and Melissa Tait - The Winnipeg Free Press (Tough Mudder)
2. Jonathan Hayward, Christa LeCraw and Paul Wright - Freelance (Whistler Crankworx)
3. Phil Hossack and Melissa Tait - The Winnipeg Free Press (Juan's Story)

Honourable Mention: Ryan Jackson, Megan Voss, Leah Hennel - Edmonton Journal (Planet Alberta)

Photojournalist of the Year winner & finalists - Sponsored by the Canadian Press

Winner:
John Lehmann - The Globe and Mail

Finalists:
Mark Blinch - Reuters
Didier Debusschere - Journal De Quebec
Todd Korol - Reuters
Fred Lum - The Globe and Mail

Photograph of the Year - Sponsored by Reuters

David Bloom - Edmonton Sun (Suicide)

Student Photojournalist of the Year - Sponsored by SAIT

Justin Tang
Justin is a second year student in Loyalist College's Photojournalism program and a former graduate of Queen's University, where he completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Human Geography and Psychology. While attending Queen's, Justin served as the Photography Editor of the school's student newspaper, the Queen's Journal, and recently spent a summer as a photography intern for the Toronto Community News. A native British Columbian, Justin has developed an appreciation for the urban environment as well as the outdoors; his deep curiosity about the relationship between the two continues to influence his work.

Prizes are as follows:
Photojournalist of the Year: $2,000
Photograph of the Year: $2,000
Student Photojournalist of the Year: $1,000

All other categories:
First place: $500
Second place: $200
Third place: $100
Honourable Mention: Certificate

SOURCE: News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC)

For further information:

Media Contact:
Laura Ballance
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604-771-5176 (cell)
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