…writing this post over a celebratory pint of Haagen-Dazs…
I’m still in shock but I guess I just won a writing award. A big one. As announced today, my work on my Fly on the Wall blog (which also appears here) tied for third place in the 2008 Best of the West contest:
“The contest is recognized as the West’s most prestigious. It began in 1988 and draws more than 2,000 entries each year from journalists in the 13 states from the Rockies west to Alaska and Hawaii.”
I came in behind a columnist from The Seattle Times, a food writer from Tacoma, and tied with a sportswriter covering the Seattle Mariners. The judge’s comments on my blog were as follows:
“Fly on the Wall” offers insight into the work of one photojournalist. The images are amazing, but the stories behind each assignment are even more compelling. The photojournalist gives us a glimpse at his internal struggle to capture the right images while being respectful of his subjects and sensitive to the emotional volatility of some situations. This blog creates greater transparency into a news organization’s visual reporting process while at the same time humanizing the photographer behind the lens. In the blog, he explores how and why photojournalists’ intentions are misconstrued.
To give credit where it is due I need to thank my blog editor Peg McEntee, who is a great mentor and a frequent safety net.
But more importantly, none of the posts that made up my winning entry would have been possible if people hadn’t let me into their lives in times of great adversity. To all of you, my sincere thanks. I will never forget the moments we shared.
Here are links to the posts that made up my entry:
The Fire
Trolley Square Shooting – Vanessa Quinn
Monika
Suburban Polygamy
Crandall Canyon Coal Mine Tragedy – Playing to the Camera
To see the complete list of results from the 2008 Best of the West Contest,
go here.
