Top photojournalists recognized at largest competition in Canada

VANCOUVER, March 7, 2018 /CNW/ - Great photos tell stories.  They transcend language and cultural barriers and speak to basic human nature.  A great photo is a moment of time that can reveal the world's most profound tales of heartbreak, joy and reality with one single image.

Today, the News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC) is pleased to recognize the excellence represented in submissions by Canada's most outstanding photojournalists in announcing the finalists in the 11^th annual National Pictures of the Year (NPOY) awards competition.

Over 2,000 photographs along with 25 multimedia productions from across Canada were entered in this year's competition, representing a spectacular body of work.

The nominated photographs can be viewed online at www.npac.ca and as a featured exhibition during the Capture Photography Festival held at the Pendulum Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia from April 9 – May 4, 2018. Opening reception on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

These images will also be exhibited as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival in First Canadian Place in Toronto, Ontario from May 7 – May 19, 2018.  Opening reception, Thursday, May 10, 2018.

The winners of each category, the 2017 Student Photographer of the Year, the 2017 Student Multimedia of the Year, the 2017 Photojournalist of the Year and the 2017 Photograph of the Year will be announced during the 2017 National Pictures of the Year Gala event to be held on April 28^th, 2018.  Location TBD.

Judging was held February 10 & 11, 2018 sponsored by the Globe and Mail and located in the Globe and Mail offices in Toronto.  The NPOY judging committee is made up of some of the most prominent and visionary photojournalists, editors and educators were tasked with judging the entries.  The single image judges comprised of Patti Gower, Ronit Novak and John Moore, along with the help of Loyalist College photojournalism students Yader Guzman and Andrew Ryan. Multimedia judges included Pawel Dwulit, Hannah Yoon, Tory Lovekin and Ronit Novak.

"From grief and desperation to joy and jubilation, these photographs tell those stories with respect and class. What another fantastic retrospective of the year in Canadian Photojournalism." said Cole Burston, President of NPAC.

The News Photographers Association of Canada's 2017 National Pictures of the Year Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR - Sponsored by The Canadian Press

Chris Donovan / Independent
Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald / Sun
Ian Willms / Boreal Collective
John Woods / Independent

SPOT NEWS - Sponsored by The Camera Store

Tyler Anderson / National Post - Crane Rescue
Mathieu Belanger / Independent for Reuters - Snowstorm
Martin Tremblay / La Presse - Islamic Centre shooting

GENERAL NEWS - Sponsored by Cision

Chris Donovan / Independent - Undocumented immigrant
Darryl Dyck / Independent for The Canadian Press - NDP Leader John Horgan
Brett Gundlock / Boreal Collective for The New York Times - Wake of Juan Jiménez
Larry Wong / Edmonton Journal - Congregation members collapse

FEATURE - Sponsored by Winnipeg Free Press

Pieter de Vos / Independent - Christopher Banda bathes
Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press - 100-year-old birthday
Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald / Sun - Calf branding
Annie Sakkab / Independent for Bloomberg - Coastal town fishing

SPORTS ACTION - Sponsored by Nikon Canada

Mathieu Belanger / Independent - Cross-country world cup
Bernard Brault / La Presse - Goins breaks bat
Darryl Dyck / Independent for The Canadian Press - Rugby Sevens grab
Kevin Light / Independent - Regatta celebration

SPORTS FEATURE - Sponsored by Sony Canada

Mark Blinch / Independent for The Globe and Mail - Wolfpack celebration
Kevin Light / Independent for CBC - First podium finish
Tijana Martin / Lethbridge Herald - Prairie Championship cheer
Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press - Radulov and fan

SINGLE MULTIMEDIA - Sponsored by Vistek

Michelle Berg / Saskatoon StarPhoenix - Iona Whipp
Anne-Marie Jackson / Toronto Star - MYTORONTO
David Zelikovitz / Maclean's - Women's March

TEAM MULTIMEDIA - Sponsored by Thomson Reuters

Michelle Kungl's Incredible Journey
Reporter: Laurie Monsebraaten
Videographer: Carlos Osorio
Editor: Anne-Marie Jackson
Producers: Carlos Osorio and Anne-Marie Jackson

Caged by Canada
Reporter: Brendan Kennedy
Videographer, Editor and Producer: Anne-Marie Jackson
Illustrator: Ainsley Ashby-Snyder

Nalongo
Directed by; Brent Foster
Director of Photography: Pawel Dwulit
Producer: Tammy Foster
Edited by: Peter Schnobb and Brent Foster
Title Design and Animation: Reactiv
Sound Design: Defacto Sound
Colorist: Dmitry Kuznetsov

PICTORIAL - Sponsored by Canon Canada

Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press - Cowboy branding
Ben Nelms / Independent - Salmon trimmings
Justin Tang / Independent for The Canadian Press - Canada 150 projection

PICTURE STORY - FEATURE - Sponsored by Leica

Chris Donovan / Independent for CBC - Patricia's Dolls
Chris Donovan / Independent - The Cloud Factory
Stephanie Foden / Independent - RV Diaries
Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald / Sun - Hutterite women branding

PICTURE STORY - INTERNATIONAL - Sponsored by Leica

Pieter de Vos / Independent - Homelands
Chris Donovan / Independent for The New York Times - They Look At Us Different
Ian Willms / Boreal Collective - We Shall See
Jim Young / AFP - Victims of violence in Chicago
Brett Gundlock / Boreal Collective for The New York Times - Mexico's horrible year

PICTURE STORY - NEWS - Sponsored by Leica

Darryl Dyck / Independent for The Canadian Press - BC Wildfires
Ian Willms / Boreal Collective - Oil Sands
Ian Willms / Boreal Collective - Between Liberties
Jesse Winter / Independent for The Toronto Star - Gabriel Smarch

PORTRAIT / PERSONALITY - Sponsored by Beau Photo

Chris Donovan / Independent - Damian London
Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald / Sun - Kade McDonald
Kevin Light / CBC - Natalie Wilkie
Carlos Osorio / Toronto Star - Alex Janvier

SOCIAL ISSUE - Sponsored by Fujifilm

Chris Donovan / Independent for CBC - The Doll Lady
Darryl Dyck / Independent for The Canadian Press - Nazi salute
Nick Iwanyshyn / Maclean's - Razak Iyal
John Woods / Independent for The Canadian Press - Somali migrants

Student Photographer of the Year - Sponsored by Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Submission deadline: April 15, 2018

Student Multimedia of the Year – Sponsored by Nikon Canada
Submission deadline: April 15, 2018

About NPAC:

NPAC celebrates and champions quality and ethical photography in journalism. Through a variety of efforts, the association challenges its members to better themselves and to continually raise the bar of industry standards.

This national organization includes over 450 professional press photographers, freelancers, photo editors and photojournalism students from across Canada.

SOURCE News Photographers Association of Canada

Laura Ballance, 604-637-6646 (direct), 604-771-5176 (cell), [email protected]