A picture of a “found” situation with strong human interest, or a fresh view of an everyday scene.
First Place
Jonathan Ernst, Reuters
Graduation: George Washington University graduate Catalina Perez, who completed her undergraduate studies in International Affairs across the span of ten years only to miss her commencement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, struts in her gown during a surprise graduation party by neighbors in Washington, on May 17, 2020.
Second Place
Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA
Covid Concert for Neighbors: Cellist Jodi Beder performs a daily concert on her front porch for COVID-19 weary residents of Mount Rainier, Md., on March 28, 2020. Beder started the concerts to help her neighbors deal with the boredom brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Third Place
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP
Working from Home: Mimicked by her son Daniel, right, Paulina Mansz, a group fitness instructor, records a workout session for her clients while her other son Javier plays, as she continues to instruct from home in Arlington, Va., on April 30, 2020. Families have started to adjust to the challenge of working from home with kids after the schools closed for the rest of the year in Arlington along with many child care facilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Award of Excellence
Alexander Lourie, Redux Pictures
Proud Boys in Prayer: Members of the Proud Boys group kneel in prayer on the National Mall. Washington, on Dec. 12, 2020.
Award of Excellence
Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Lift: Michael Fisher Sr., lifts his son, Michael Fisher Jr., to dunk a basketball at the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue on Jan. 15, 2021, in Richmond, Va. Erected in 1890, and standing 60 feet high, Richmond's graffitied statue of Robert E. Lee now serves as reminder of last year's racial justice movement. Art work, graffiti and memorials call out racial equity and take stand for social injustice.
Award of Excellence
Stephen Voss, Independent
Small Steps: A little boy walks towards the Lincoln Memorial statue in Washington, on March 29, 2020. Om March 30, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a stay-at-home order in response to the growing number of coronavirus cases in the city and surrounding areas.
Award of Excellence
Tyrone Turner, WMAU
Fitz’s Grave: Surrounded by loved ones, Pastor Michelle Thomas grieves at the stone marking her son’s grave at the African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont near Leesburg, Va., on Aug. 15, 2020.