A news or feature picture that depicts a unique or behind-the-scenes view of Washington politicians, people relating to politics or other Washington insiders (but not the President of the United States and not taken on Capitol Hill). Pictures taken outside Washington, D.C. must prominently feature a Washington insider. Any candidate for U.S. President is considered a Washington insider.
First Place
Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters
Iowa State Fair: Republican presidential candidte former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley shoots a basketball during a carnival game as she tours Thrill Ville at the Iowa State Fair with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 12, 2023.
Second Place
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Solemn Remember: First lady Jill Biden pauses and remembers after laying a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va., to honor the lives lost on 9/11, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley, left, on Sept. 11, 2023.
Third Place
Julia Nikhinson, The Associated Press
Inauguration: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore kisses his daughter, Mia, after being sworn in as the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland, on Jan. 18, 2023, in Annapolis, Md. Moore, the first Black governor of Maryland and the third Black governor in the United States, took the oath of office using a Bible owned by Frederick Douglass, a Marylander who escaped slavery on the state’s Eastern Shore before becoming an author and famed abolitionist.
Award of Excellence
Doug Mills, The New York Times
Trump on Trial: Former President Donald Trump sits at the witness table as he appears in NY State Supreme court in New York, on Oct. 18, 2023 2023. Trump’s family business is facing a lawsuit by the State of New York accusing them of inflating the value of assets to get favorable loans from banks.
Award of Excellence
Tom Brenner, The New York Times
Behind Schedule: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre runs across a median towards a helicopter, at Gainesville Regional Airport on Sept. 2, 2023 in Gainesville, Fla. The Biden's traveled to Florida to observe storm damage from Hurricane Idalia.