The 2011 KNPA Contest and 2012 KNPA Seminar will be held in conjunction with the Kentucky Press Association and the Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association’s annual meetings at the Embassy Suites in Lexington January 20-21, 2012.
Still Contest Information
The deadline for entry in the 2011 contest is 11:59 p.m. EST, January 14, 2012.
If you have questions or clarifications concerning the Still Contest feel free to contact the Still Contest Chairman: email@knpa.org
TV Judges
Darren Durlach, The Boston Globe
Darren realized in the 3rd grade that his dreams of becoming an astronaut were unlikely when his teacher told him that math was involved. After a brief denial period he set his sights on the right side of his brain and after graduating from Radford University he started as a Production Assistant at NBC 29 in Charlottesville, Va and soon convinced the Chief Photographer to let him shoot. After attending a career changing NPPA workshop in Norman Oklahoma Darren got a job as a Photojournalist at Fox 45 in Baltimore. While there he won back to back NPPA Photographer of the year awards, 11 Emmy’s, Edward R Murrow, AP and SPJ awards. He was also named the 2008 and 2009 b-roller of the year from www.b-roll.net
Durlach began working at The Boston Globe as a Senior Multimedia Producer in December and is looking forward to the limitless opportunities that the internet can provide.
Dave Larson, WBFF-TV Baltimore, Md.
A snake handler’s life is a complicated one. Dave Larson realized this early and decided to pursue a different future.
After graduating from York College of Pennsylvania, Larson began his career at WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Md., as a night side editor. Wanting more creative control, he took a strong interest in the role of photojournalist when a position opened at the station. The Chief Photographer decided to give him a chance. Larson quickly learned the basics of photography, but it was not until he found an old NPPA quarterly tape that he started learning the art of storytelling. That tape helped him to realize that including moments and natural sound in his stories helped to paint a brighter picture of everyday news.
After two years, Larson took a position at WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was given the opportunity to learn from experienced storytellers such as Doug Legore and Bryan Barr. He became more involved in the storytelling process and pushed himself to grow as a photographer. After two and half years, however, Larson felt a change was necessary and decided to leave the industry for a while. He spent a year traveling around the world, visiting 25 countries on four continents. When he returned, he landed at WBFF-TV in Baltimore, Md., and picked up where he left off.
Over the last few years, Larson’s work has earned him three regional Emmys, two Edward R. Murrow awards and several AP awards. He placed as an “Honorable Mention” in the 2010 Best of Photojournalism contest for spot news and is consistently ranked as a top finisher in the NPPA Quarterly Clip Contest.
In his free time, Larson enjoys sock puppets, live action role playing and spending time with his fiancé, whom he lives with in Baltimore.
Greg Vandergrift, UST Faculty
Professor Vandegrift teaches Multimedia Reporting, Electronic Media Production, Advanced Multimedia Reporting and Public Communication: Speaking & Writing.
Education:
B.S., University of Kansas
Professional experience:
Professor Vandegrift spent nearly a quarter century as a television news reporter. Most recently, he worked at KARE 11 in Minneapolis-St. Paul for a dozen years. He also worked in Iowa’s Quad Cities and in Joplin, Mo. He is the winner of two national Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as regional Murrow and Emmy awards. While at KARE 11, he won the Minnesota Associated Press Writing award four times.
Scholarship and service:
Professor Vandegrift has spent several years teaching professionals and students. He has been a faculty member of the National Press Photographers Association’s annual workshop multiple times and has spoken to journalism students on several occasions at his alma mater, the University of Kansas.
At UST:
Professor Vandegrift joined UST full time in 2008. He is an advisor to TommieMedia.com.
Still Judges
Marshall Gorby, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun
Marshall Gorby started down the road to be a photographer in 1977. He was working at my father’s garage and met a photographer named Bill Mason, who showed me the ropes in exchange for fixing his car.
My first newspaper job was at the Dayton Black Press covering African American issues and entertainment in the Dayton area. Following the Black Press he worked for a chain of suburban weekly papers covering the Dayton area for 17 years.
In 1995 Gorby joined the staff of the Springfield News-Sun and has been there for 15 years.
Gorby has been married to the same wonderful woman for 31 years has three daughters and six grandchildren.
Gary Cosby Jr., The Decatur (Alabama) Daily
Gary Cosby, Jr. ,46, has been a newspaper photojournalist for almost 20 years. He began his career at The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC where he was the chief photographer. Cosby has worked for the past 15 years at The Decatur Daily, in Decatur, Alabama. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Photography from the University of North Alabama and attended, but did not finish, graduate school at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. He has been married to his wife Patty for 22 years and they have eight children.
Cosby has won numerous photography awards from the Alabama Press Association and the Alabama Associated Press Managing Editors contests as well as monthly clip awards in the NPPA and Sportsshooter.com organizations. His most cherished awards have come from community organizations such as the Special Olympics and the ARC of Morgan County for work done with the developmentally disabled.
He is also the author of a photojournalism blog, alittlenewsphoto.com, that focuses on helping young and small market photojournalists excel. The theme of the blog is “For Small Town But Not Small Time Photojournalism,” which is basically the theme he applies to his career.
Danese Kenon, The Indianapolis Star
Danese Kenon’s enthusiasm for picture-taking as a seven-year-old evolved into a full-fledge love affair. After graduating from Virginia State University, she attended The Poynter Institute as a Visual Fellow.It was there that she learned visual journalism was more than just “pretty pictures”.
In 2000, Kenon became a photojournalist at The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. After three years in Rochester, NY, she attended Syracuse University to study photography. Kenon currently resides in Indianapolis, where she is a full-time multimedia journalist at The Indianapolis Star.
A list of judges and speakers and the weekend schedule has been finalized for the upcoming KNPA weekend in Lexington.
Jeff Tang, News Channel 5
Jeff Tang is a reporter at WTVF in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a 12 time Regional Emmy Award Nominee, and a three time winner.
He was also named Reporter of the Year by the Associated Press in 2008 and 2009. Tang is no stranger to Kentucky- he worked for three years at WAVE-TV before moving to Nashville.
In Louisville, he learned about crafting memorable stories from some of the best photojournalists in the country. Jeff graduated cum laude from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 2004.
Jahi Chikwendiu, Washington Post
Jahi Chikwendiu was set to start a career as a high school math instructor. In fact, he taught for a year, enjoying the everyday challenges of being an educator. But when the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, the local newspaper he freelanced for during summer vacation, called to offer him a full-time staff position, he couldn’t say no. Three months later Jahi was named 1998 Photographer of the Year by the Kentucky News Photographers’ Association. In another two years, he would join the staff of The Washington Post, where he’s been a staff photographer since January of 2001.
Since joining the Washington Post, Chikwendiu has worked on a variety of stories that include a coming-of-age story about 9/11 Marines, the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, AIDS and poverty in Kenya, genocide in Darfur, night-commuting children in Northern Uganda, cluster bomb victims in South Lebanon, Sudanese refugees in Egypt, DC Public Schools’ broken system, and Iraqi refugees who have fled the country since the 2003 invasion. Chikwendiu spent the first three months of 2009 in Africa covering the Barack Obama inauguration from the Kenyan home village of the US president’s father and other stories in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and South Sudan.
Chikwendiu has been recognized for his work by such organizations as White House News Photographers Association (whnpa), NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism, Pictures of the Year international (POYi), World Press Photo, Overseas Press Club, Harry Chapman Media Awards, Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards, and Kentucky News Photographers Association (knpa).
Rob Carr, AP
Rob Carr, Kentucky native, is an Associated Press staff photographer currently based in Baltimore. He joined the AP in Montgomery, Alabama, just 28 days before Hurricane Katrina hit the coast.
While a student at Eastern Kentucky University, he got his first journalism job in 1986 with the Commonwealth Journal in Somerset, Ky., working as the weekend photographer until interning at the Kentucky Post in Covington, Ky., during the summer of 1987.
After graduating in 1988 with a degree in journalism, he interned on the photo desk of the AP in Chicago bureau for five months before taking a full time job as a staff photographer at the State-Journal in Frankfort.
After leaving the paper in 1994, he freelanced for the AP and other clients as well working a nine month full time temporary stint with the Herald-Leader in Lexington.
In 1996 he took a job as the Director of Photography at the Athens Banner Herald in Athens, Ga., then later became the sports photo editor at the Atlanta Journal Constitution before becoming the DOP of the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga., in 1998 where he worked until being hired by the AP in 2005.
During his career, he has covered 21 Kentucky Derby’s as well a host of Triple Crown Races and Breeders’ Cups, 10 Masters Tournaments, more high school basketball games than he cares to remember, as well as endless days of the Kentucky legislature, hurricanes, Olympics, and a lot of college and pro sports.
Darren Durlach, WBFF
Darren Durlach realized in the 3rd grade that his dreams of becoming an astronaut were unlikely when his teacher told him that math was involved. After a brief denial period he set his sights on the right side of his brain and after graduating from Radford University he started as a Production Assistant at NBC 29 in Charlottesville, Va and soon convinced the Chief Photographer to let him shoot. After attending a career changing NPPA workshop in Norman Oklahoma Darren got a job as a Photojournalist at Fox 45 in Baltimore where he still works and is honored to work with the best news people in the country.
Darren’s greatest career achievement was being named the 2009 NPPA Ernie Crisp Photographer of the Year and the best part is getting the chance to hear from amazing speakers at different conventions around the country. Darren has been honored with 7 Emmys and numerous NPPA and AP awards. He was also named the 2008 and 2009 b-roller of the Year.
He credits any success he may have to great parents, his awesome wife kathryn and his mutt Maggie (even though she eats his shoes).
Gary Cosby, The Decatur Daily
Gary Cosby, Jr. ,46, has been a newspaper photojournalist for almost 20 years. he began his career at The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC where he was the chief photographer and has worked for the past 15 years at The Decatur Daily, in Decatur, Alabama. He has a BS degree in commercial photography from the University of North Alabama and attended, but did not finish, graduate school at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. He has been married to his wife Patty for 22 years and theyhave had eight children.
Gary has won numerous photography awards from the Alabama Press Association and the Alabama Associated Press Managing Editors contests as well as monthly clip awards in the NPPA and Sportsshooter.com organizations. His most cherished awards have come from community organizations such as the Special Olympics and the ARC of Morgan County for work done with the developmentally disabled.
He is also the author of a photojournalism blog, alittlenewsphoto.com, that focuses on helping young and small market photojournalists excel. The theme of my blog is “For Small Town But Not Small Time Photojournalism,” which is basically the theme he applies to his career.
Patrick Murphy-Racey, Freelance, Knoxville
Patrick Murphy-Racey is a native of Chicago but has made his home in Knoxville Tennessee since 1989. He graduated with a Photojournalism degree from Marquette University in 1988 and worked in newspapers from 1986-1992. Murphy-Racey has four covers of Sports Illustrated and has shot over 700 assignments for SI since 1992. He has two books to his credit: Run Through the T was self-published in 2003 and the WWE book, Unscripted, was published buy Rare Air Media in 2004.
Murphy-Racey is also an ordained Catholic Permanent Deacon and now splits his time between shooting stills and video assignments along with his ministry in Haiti, Knoxville Catholic High School, and his parish assignment. Murphy-Racey is in the process of working on his third book on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball coach, Pat Summitt. An avid motorcyclist, Murphy-Racey did the 12,000 mile ride to Prudhoe Bay Alaska in 2007 in just 23 days, and in 2009, he got to the other north-eastern most point of North America when he completed a ride to Goose Bay in Labrador. He is married with two children.
Murphy-Racey is a recovering newspaper photographer, working the 12-step program to produce meaningful imagery with both stills and video and is really excited about the future of story telling.
Drew Cook, WAVE TV
Drew Cook, a four-time KNPA TV-POY lists the following about his career;produced stories for CNN’s “Tales of Old Kentucky” series, twice a session leader at the Ky. Governor’s Scholar Program, guest lecturer and panel member at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, won National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA) Regional Photographer of the Year in 2004, winner of five NPPA National Awards, was a session leader, New Media Workshop, was featured speaker at the Indiana News Photographers Association Conference, judge at the White House Press Association Annual Competition, finalist in the NPPA National Photographer of the Year Contest, 7 Emmy Awards and an Eclipse Award.
“Drew Cook is an acute and skillful observer of the current state of broadcast journalism. As a key member of regional organizations, he has been a mentor to scores of ambitious young journalists. If you’re looking for a keen eye and professional judgement, Drew’s your guy. ” Keith Morrison, Dateline NBC.
Nathan Sharkey, WTVF Nashville
Nathan Sharkey is a photojournalist at WTVF in Nashville, Tennessee. In his 11 years in the business, Nathan has earned a number of awards, including three Regional Emmys and two national NPPA awards. Nathan was also named as Michigan’s top photographer by his peers in 2003. Sharkey’s station is widely recognized as one of the best in the country for photojournalism. He was part of the staff that was runner up for NPPA Station of the Year in 2008, and Nathan is currently in contention to win Photographer of the Year in his region.
- Lighting up UK: The President’s house
- Rollergirls of Central Kentucky
- “Peace Makers”
- Living Positive
- Dragon Cafe
- Bus
- Fire
- Horse
- Banjo Man
- Running for Autism
- The Dirt Bowl
- Cutting Through the Competition
- Road to Recovery
- The General
- Ice Storm: Aftermath
- Big Blue Madness
- Bird is the Word
- Urban Chickens
- Turfway Track turns 50
- Unkempt Cemetery
- A Journey to Remember
- A Dream Realized
- Mountain Workshops
- Church Fire
- Elliot
- Zap Zebra
- IVUmed: Teach One Reach Many
UPDATE: Contestants can now upload their still photo entries via ftp at http://contest.knpa.org/ (Deadline now has passed)
You can now download the current rules and categories for the 2010 KNPA Television and Still Contest. The download links are available in the sidebar or below.
2010_KNPA_schedule (updated)
2010 KNPA Still rules and entry form
Other downloads
The Kentucky News Photographers Association will hold its annual POY Contest and Educational Seminar on January 22-23, 2010, at the Embassy Suites in Lexington. The KNPA will be held in conjunction with the Kentucky Press Associations’ Annual Winter Convention at the Embassy Suites on Jan. 21-22.
Rob Carr, AP
Jahi Chikwendiu, Washington Post
Speakers included Gary Cosby Jr., The Decatur Daily, Jahi Chikwendiu, Washington Post, Rob Carr, Maryland AP, Darren Durlach, of WBFF-TV in Baltimore, MD, Francene Cucinello, 84 WHAS, along with Jeff Tang and Mike Rose of NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.
The KNPA events kick off Friday, Jan. 22, with photo and TV contest judging on Friday beginning at 10 a.m. The judging is open to the public and is a great opportunity to view thousands of images and hours of video from some of the best visual journalists across the Bluegrass. At the same time Friday, the KNPA will be offering basic photo and video seminars for the KPA members as well as interested KNPA members.
Saturday, Jan. 23, features the 2010 KNPA Educational Seminar beginning at 8:30 a.m. A total of ten still and TV speakers will present on a variety industry topics and tutorials.
Patrick Murphy-Racey, Freelance, Knoxville
Nathan Sharkey
The work of the best photojournalists across the state will be shown Saturday during the KNPA Awards Luncheon. Following the luncheon, the speakers’ presentation will resume with the afternoon session ending at about 5:30.
The KNPA’s Annual POY contest and Educational Seminar deadlines, entry forms, contest rules and KNPA membership forms will be posted on the KNPA web site (www.knpa.org) by Dec. 15.
Gary Cosby, The Decatur Daily
Darren Durlach, WBFF
The KNPA is excited to partner with the KPA to bring both memberships under one roof for three days of journalism excellence in the state. The KPA’s schedule will be posted on our web site (www.knpa.org) as well as on the KPA site (www.kypress.com).
The KPA will feature breakout sessions for smaller circulation papers on Friday and will have a reception at 6 p.m. and at 7 p.m. begins their annual awards banquet where results from the KPA Excellence in Kentucky Newspapers Contest are announced.
Drew Cook, WAVE TV
Jeff Tang, News Channel 5
The KNPA POY Contest will judge the portfolio portion of the contest, which is closed to the public, during the KPA awards banquet Friday so you can attend.
More info will follow on the KNPA site in the coming days and weeks. Please check back regularly and make sure to spread the word about the KNPA contest and seminar.
After a long day of judging, see who won the POYs at the 2009 KNPA seminar just announced in Louisville.
Congratulations to this year’s big winners. A complete list of winners for TV can be found here and the still winners list is here.
Television POY – Drew Cook of WAVE
Still POY – David Stephenson of the Lexington Herald-Leader
Student POY – Philip Andrews from WKU
Sports POY – David Stephenson of the Lexington Herald-Leader
1st Place Portrait/Personality Jake Stevens, WKU Injured Marine Justin Reynolds is surrounded in prayer by family members and Assistant Chaplin Terry Ginther, of Leipsic, Ohio. “Prayer is the only thing we’ve got,” said Ginther. Reynolds, who served two tours of duty in the Iraq War was honorably discharged in 2006 after his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb, filling his legs with shrapnel. Doctors believe a virus contracted after his injures infected his brain, leaving Justin disabled but aware.
The judging for 2009 KNPA contest, both stills and television, are underway. We will be posting a winner’s list and photos as fast as we can. Don’t forget to drop by tonight if you want to see and hear the judges hash out the winning portfolios in the professional division.
Winner’s list for the Still Contest
Winner’s list for the TV Contest
Scott Strazzante, left, Emily Razinsky and Matt Detrich look through the Feature category in the student divison.
Here are links to the entries for the 2009 KNPA multimedia contest categories: Read more
