A series of news pictures that depicts a story line or single theme. 12 photos maximum per story. A picture story depicting the President of the United States, other U.S. politicians, or U.S. politics is NOT eligible in this category.
First Place
Carol Guzy, For Zuma
BUCHA, CITY OF DEATH: The ghostly sight of hands and legs protrude from the earth as investigators begin the grim task of exhuming bodies from a mass grave behind the Church of St. Andrew and All Saints, while assessing evidence of war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine on Friday April 8, 2022.
Wreckage of war and bodies littered the streets of Bucha, recently liberated from invading Russian troops in the suburbs of Kyiv where atrocities have been reported. Every body bag is later opened and forensics recorded at a nearby cemetery. Families gather in sorrow while trying to identify their loved ones.
Second Place
Salwan Georges, The Washington Post
Untitled: Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. During the past seven years, as soaring quantities of fentanyl flooded into the United States, strategic blunders and cascading mistakes by successive U.S. administrations allowed the most lethal drug crisis in American history to become significantly worse. The Department of Homeland Security, whose agencies are responsible for detecting illegal drugs at the nation’s borders, failed to ramp up scanning and inspection technology at official crossings, instead channeling $11 billion toward the construction of a border wall that does little to stop fentanyl traffickers. Across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, it has long been a major transit point for illicit goods into the U.S. Now, it is a city of fentanyl. It is the most prolific trafficking hub in the United States for the drug and, increasingly, a city of users. There have been over 1,900 homicides in 2022, making it the deadliest city in Mexico. Seizing labs and narcotics would be a monumental task for any law enforcement agency. But in parts of Mexico, where organized crime often has more power than the government, the more important question has become: Are authorities even trying?
Third Place
Kent Nishimura, Los Angeles Times
Mass Shooting in Buffalo New York Leaves 10 Dead:
Award of Excellence
Alex Brandon, The Associated Press
Arms for Ukraine: Tractor-trailers arrive at the depot on Dover Air Force Base with their cargo of 155mm shells and fuses. The 18-wheelers are unloaded, the munitions are then loaded onto pallets and placed on C-17 transport aircraft, ultimately bound for Ukraine. The latest aid package in January of 2023 brings total U.S. military assistance to Ukraine to $26.7 billion since Russia invaded in February.