Top Honors
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Photographer of the Year - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Political Photo of the Year - Evan Vucci, The Associated Press
Portrait/Personality
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First Place - André Chung, Freelance for The Washington Post
Second Place - Frank Thorp V, NBC
Third Place - Claire Harbage, NPR
Award of Excellence - Carol Guzy, Independent
Award of Excellence - Frank Thorp V, NBC
Award of Excellence - Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters
Pictorial
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First Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Second Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Third Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Feature
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First Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Second Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Third Place - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Freelance For Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Kevin Lamarque, Reuters
Award of Excellence - Angelina Katsanis, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Sports Action
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First Place - Jack Gruber, USA Today
Second Place - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Third Place - Tasos Katopodis, Freelance for Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Susan Walsh, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Sports Feature/Reaction
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First Place - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Second Place - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Third Place - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Angelina Katsanis, Minnesota Star Tribune
Award of Excellence - Julia Nikhinson, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Presidential
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First Place - Eric Lee, The New York Times
Second Place - Tom Brenner, Freelance for Reuters
Third Place - Samuel Corum, Freelance for SIPA
Award of Excellence - Alex Wong, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Evan Vucci, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Ben Curtis, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Tom Brenner, Freelance for The New York Times
Butler
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First Place - Evan Vucci, The Associated Press
Second Place - Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images
Third Place - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Eric Lee, The New York Times
Award of Excellence - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Eric Lee, The New York Times
Award of Excellence - Doug Mills, The New York Times
Campaign 2024
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First Place - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Second Place - Jacquelyn Martin, The Associated Press
Third Place - Alex Brandon, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Jacquelyn Martin, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Jacquelyn Martin, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Inauguration 2025
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First Place - Jim Watson, Agence France-Presse
Second Place - Julia Nikhinson, The Associated Press
Third Place - Ben Curtis, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Doug Mills, The New York Times
Award of Excellence - Tom Brenner, Freelance for The Washington
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Freelance for Bloomberg
Award of Excellence - Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters
On Capitol Hill
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First Place - Kent Nishimura, Freelance for Getty Images
Second Place - Al Drago, Freelance for Bloomberg
Third Place - Kent Nishimura, Freelance for Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Freelance for Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Freelance for Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Bill Clark, Roll Call
Insider’s Washington
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First Place - Saul Loeb, AFP
Second Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Third Place - Saul Loeb, AFP
Award of Excellence - Tom Brenner, Freelance for Reuters
Award of Excellence - Julia Nikhinson, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Tom Williams, Roll Call
Award of Excellence - Greg Nash, The Hill
Domestic News
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First Place - Melina Mara, The Washington Post
Second Place - Carol Guzy, Independent
Third Place - Anna Layden, Freelance for EPA
Award of Excellence - Carol Guzy, Independent
Award of Excellence - Carolyn Van Houten, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP
International News
There were no awards in this category in 2025
Picture Story/Politics
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First Place - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Second Place - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Third Place - Andrew Harnik, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Doug Mills, The New York Times
Award of Excellence - Jacquelyn Martin, The Associated Press
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Freelance
Picture Story/Feature
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First Place - Carolyn Van Houten, The Washington Post
Second Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Third Place - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Picture Story/News
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First Place - Carolyn Van Houten, The Washington Post
Second Place - Carol Guzy, Independent
Third Place - Claire Harbage, NPR
Award of Excellence - Carolyn Van Houten, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Carol Guzy, Independent
Picture Story/Sports
First Place - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Second Place - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Third Place - Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Jacquelyn Martin, The Associated Press
Political Portfolio of the Year
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First Place - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Second Place - Andrew Harnik, Getty Images
Third Place - Samuel Corum, Independent
Award of Excellence - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Independent
Award of Excellence - Doug Mills, The New York Times
Portfolio of the Year
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First Place - Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post
Second Place - Win McNamee, Getty Images
Third Place - Matt McClain, The Washington Post
Award of Excellence - Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Award of Excellence - Kent Nishimura, Independent
2025 Still Contest Judges
Brian Cassella joined the Chicago Tribune as a photojournalist in 2009. He covers assignments from neighborhood stories and local politics to sports championships and four Olympic Games. A native of Baltimore, Brian previously worked for the Tampa Bay Times and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
Jamie Kelter Davis is a Chicago-based independent photojournalist whose work often explores how shifting political landscapes impact communities—from rural families and urban centers to marginalized groups and the environment. A photography graduate of Columbia College Chicago, her work has appeared in The New York Times, POLITICO, The Washington Post, CNN, ProPublica, and NPR.
In 2024, she traveled throughout the country covering the U.S. presidential race. Between key events—primaries, conventions, Election Night at Howard, and Trump’s second inauguration—she sought to understand how political issues were dividing and connecting people’s lives, visually documenting passionate and passive voters, nonvoters, energized volunteers, and the environmental landscapes that shaped their nuanced political experiences and beliefs.
Through her photography, Jamie aims to highlight the human side of politics, offering insight into issues that shape communities and national conversations.
Scott Sharpe is a native of Hickory, N.C. and joined the staff of The Fayetteville Observer in 1983 after graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in journalism. Sharpe then joined the staff of the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. as a photojournalist in 1985 where he covered a variety of assignments including sports, news, features and fashion and traveled internationally to the Middle East, Haiti, Brazil and Albania.
Sharpe has taught as an adjunct instructor in photojournalism and multimedia at UNC, and became a photo assignment editor at the N&O in 2005 and then became Director of Photography and Multimedia in 2008.
During his career, Sharpe has received awards from the NPPA, NC Press Association, The National Headliner Awards and Communication Arts magazine.
Sharpe lives in Cary, N.C. with his wife and has two adult children, who all have thankfully chosen careers outside of journalism.