(WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 18, 2024) – The White House News Photographers Association® announced that photographer Doug Mills of The New York Times has been named WHNPA 2024 Photographer of the Year and Win McNamee of Getty Images has been awarded Political Photo of the Year in the Still contest division of the association’s annual ‘Eyes of History®’ visual journalism competition.
Mills’ winning portfolio included diverse images of President Joe Biden, the border crisis, former President Donald Trump, The Masters golf tournament and the Kansas City Chiefs.
After learning about his win, Mills said, “I’m extremely grateful to the judges and all the hard-working WHNPA staff and volunteers. The caliber of entries this year was extremely strong and I’m so thrilled to be selected photographer of the year. Washington has the most talented photographers in the country and I’m lucky to be working alongside-of them. I’d like to thank the New York Times for their tremendous support, each and every year.”
McNamee’s Political Photo of the Year featured Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, walking on Capitol Hill surrounded by reporters. In talking about the award McNamee said, “This has been one of the stranger years covering Capitol Hill that I can remember. The turmoil in the House of Representatives seems unprecedented and the entire DC photo community spent super long hours trying to document what was happening. I’m thrilled this photo won but am also impressed by the body of work and dedication produced by all our colleagues that cover the U.S. Capitol.”
In commenting on the WHNPA ‘Eyes of History®’ contest winners, President Jessica Koscielniak said, “The still images entered in this year’s contest is evidence that quality photojournalism being made by Washington photographers has not wavered. Doug Mills continues to represent the best of photojournalism — his approach to his work is unrivaled. I am immensely proud of all the winning work in this year’s contest and our members who document history every day.”
The judges for the 2024 ‘Eyes of History®’ stills competition were: Jen Edney, Independent; Jose Lopez, former staff photographer and photo editor for the New York Times; and Sangsuuk Sylvia Kang of TIME Magazine.
In commenting on the Political Photo of the Year, Lopez said “The photo represents absolute confusion and everything going on in the House of Representatives and the political process as a whole. The frustration on his face magnifies this as Kang continued, ‘The body language helps viewers understand the frustration.’
Edny and Lopez shared that it was “incredibly inspiring and powerful and overwhelming in a wonderful way, with so many different perspectives on the eyes of history.” Lopez concluded, “The images represent the truth before whether they [viewers] like it or not.”
The top winners were selected after viewing over 4,500 images in 16 categories, including portfolio and Political Photo of the Year over the course of two days. Still contest division chair Al Drago said, “I am immensely grateful for everyone who helped make this judging weekend a success. We recognize a lot of people who gave up their weekends, as well as time before the judging to prepare the entries, and are immensely grateful for their help and support.”
The top winners of the still, video, digital and student contests will be honored at the annual ‘Eyes of History®’ gala on June 1, 2024, in Washington. The black-tie event celebrates all the winning visual journalists.
The White House News Photographers Association® is a 103-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the efforts of Washington’s professional visual journalists. 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 Jessica Koscielniak at [email protected] or executive director Heidi Elswick at [email protected] (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.
To download a pdf copy of this release, please click here.