Stories Judge: Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale is an independent journalist based in New Delhi, India. Her photographs and stories from events in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have appeared in publications including Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Businessweek, The Guardian, The Telegraph Sunday Magazine, New York Times, Las Angeles Times, USA Today, Financial Times, and MSNBC among others. She has won numerous awards including NPPA Magazine Photographer of the Year.

Wow! I was impressed with the work and initiative you all showed to document extremely difficult situations. This was challenging for me to rank because each of you have tremendous talent. I hope you continue to push yourselves and improve the craft of photography. I look forward to seeing what you all do in your careers.

My feeling about many of the photo essays was that not enough attention was paid to the captions and stories. The other problem was that while there were many nice single images, very often they did not tell the same story that the photographer wrote about.

Lastly, we all need to be careful about breaking through stereotypes and getting to the heart of our subject. As photojournalists, we are the eyes to a world that our readers may never have the opportunity to see. The world is extremely polarized right now and we need to do our best to understand what may seem (on the surface) to be so different. I can see immediately when a person has established a relationship with his or her subjects and it makes a huge difference. I also want to emphasize that the best stories are often in our backyard.

Going to another culture is a wonderful experience but I encourage all of you to really get to know who you are photographing and understand what you want to say.

As I mentioned earlier, this was very tough to judge. But here it goes...

Best, Ami

 

HEROIN: VICTIMS OF ADDICTION

I met Ernie Archuleta at a meeting at the Rock Christian Fellowship in Española during a harm-reduction program that teaches addicts and their families how to prevent a fatal overdose. I told him I was trying to document the heroin problem in Rio Arriba County and had seen everything except the problem itself.

Story by Luis Sánchez Saturno

 

LIFE ON THE OUTSKIRTS: ROMA IN UKRAINE

Originating in India, the Roma people (more commonly known as gypsies, which has taken on a sort of derogatory context) made their first mass migrations into Europe in the 14th century.

Story by Greg Ruffing

 

LEFT BEHIND: INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILDREN IN UKRAINE

The years immediately following the fall of communism in Ukraine and Eastern Europe saw the forced closing of numerous asylums for adults and children with mental and physical disabilities. Since then, however, the situation has reversed, as the number of institutionalized children has risen in every former Soviet Bloc country except Hungary.

Story by Greg Ruffing


AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

Yes, being a single mother in America is a struggle, but so is being a parent. While watching Sara and Ethan interact, I realized that this story should not be about their struggle, but rather, the undying love that they have for one another.

Story by Mike Stump

 

FILLING A NEED

On June 27th, 2004 the Lucy Idol Center is celebrating its 50th year of existence. At the center of the festivities, seated in a wheelchair, is Lucy Idol, 83, the founder of the center. Today is Lucy Idol’s day.

Story by Tim Harrison

 

AMERICA'S LITTLE LEAGUE

It's 10:00 a.m. on any given summer weekday at Melvin Miller Park. The sky is clear and blue, the air is thick and the grass on the fields is damp. At field number 5, Dave Parker, of Urbana is pushing around a small, squeaky cart that is leaving a white line in the dirt from homeplate to first base.

Story by Mike Stump

 

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AFGHANISTAN?

Baba Jan wishes that he could go back home, open a small shop and live in peace.
“I’m Tired of fighting,” the Afghan Mujahedeen commander repeated while on the front lines in southeast Afghanistan.
He has been fighting for nearly 20 years.

Story by Glenn D. Luther

 

MONEY MARKET:
REBUILDING A NATION THROUGH CURRENCY

Lights wired to car batteries flicker on at 9 a.m. as the money market opens in Kabul.
Far from Wall Street, hundreds of men with large stacks of money begin to flood the dusty courtyard. They are exchanging foreign currency for new bank notes called Afghani.

Story by Glenn D. Luther

 

DANIEL MAES: AN EXCEPTION TO TEEN FATHERHOOD

Daniel Maes, 19, and his daughter Jasmine, 3, spend time hanging out in his apartment listening to music. He also takes her out to play basketball and sometime they entertain themselves by putting away loose chance in a glass bottle.

Story by Luis Sánchez Saturno