POYi Returns to
The Annenberg Space
for Photography

Pictures of the Year International returns to the Annenberg Space for Photography for a second consecutive year.

The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles will host an extended exhibition of POYi award-winning documentary photography beginning June 26, 2010. The Annenberg Space for Photography is the premiere venue for the POYi Education Seminar & Awards Program.

POYi is honored to receive support from the Annenberg Foundation for the 67th annual program that includes a 12-week public display of POYi's "Visions of Excellence" gallery showing of both print and digital documentary photography. The two-day POYi program will unveil the exhibit June 24 - 25 with presentations by award-winning photojournalists, educational workshops, portfolio reviews, and the annual awards ceremony.

A primary mission of the POYi competition is to extend the reach of photojournalists through educational public exhibitions. POYi is committed to engaging citizens worldwide with great photojournalism. POYi is privileged to be a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. Since 2006, RJI has provided POYi with a core foundation to achieve ambitious goals for the future. And POYi's added partnership with the Annenberg Space for Photography provides a perfect venue for outreach exhibitions.

The Annenberg Space for Photography is a new cultural destination dedicated to exhibiting digital and print photography. The Space conveys a range of human experiences and serves as an expression of the philanthropic work of the Annenberg Foundation and its Trustees. The Space opened in March 2009 and features state-of-the-art, high-definition digital technology as well as traditional prints by some of the world's most renowned and emerging photographers. General admission to the space is free.

©Jason Eskenazi

Best Book Winner
"Wonderland," Back in Print

WONDERLAND: A Fairy Tale of the Soviet Monolith was honored in the 66th annual POYi competition as the Best Photography Book in the premiere division. Jason Eskenazi's photography book is now in its second printing.

To order a copy please send check
or money order to:
RED HOOK EDITIONS
P.O. Box 94
New York, N.Y. 10276
or ORDER ONLINE HERE

$32.00 + $4.95 (U.S. shipping) = $36.95
In NY State add 8.875% sales tax.
$11.45 for shipping to Canada or Mexico;
$13.45 to all other countries.
Any inquiries please contact
jasoneskenazi@hotmail.com

ANGUS McDOUGALL
1916 - 2009

Angus McDougall comments on the editing category results during the 2006 POYi judging. McDougall served as the director for Pictures of the Year from 1972 to 1982.

Angus W. “Mac” McDougall, a legendary force in photojournalism, editing and education, died in Columbia on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. He was 92.
Click here for Angus McDougall's lifetime achivements and more photos

Our sincere thanks to Nikon and Nikon Professional Services for their support and contribution of premiere camera awards to the two first-place Photographer of the Year winners. POYi is proud to partner with Nikon for the 67th annual POYi Education Seminar & Awards Program.

POYi would like to thank Miller's Professional Imaging for its support and help printing POYi exhibitions.

POYi Contact Information

Email: info@poyi.org
Phone: 573-884-2188

Congratulations Winners in the
67th Annual POYi Competition

Education & Awards Program set for June 24 - 25
at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles

Click here to view this year's winners list.

Photographers Paul Hansen from the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter and Tomas van Houtryve of Panos Pictures achieved premiere honors in the 67th annual Pictures of the Year International (POYi) competition and set the mark for excellence in photojournalism for 2009. The Los Angeles Times set the gold standard for editing by earning the "Angus McDougall Overall Excellence in Editing Award."

POYi is privileged to announce these premier awards and category winners, with support from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (www.rjionline.org) and the Missouri School of Journalism.

Hansen was named the 2009 "Newspaper Photographer of the Year" and van Houtryve was honored as the "Freelance/Agency Photographer of the Year." The judges recognized similar strengths in the work of these two photojournalists - a strong balance of powerful aesthetic with solid journalistic content that reflects the news events, personalities, and social issues of their respective regions. Hansen's portfolio presented a stunning report on the lingering effects of the Israel strikes in Gaza, plus a touching personal story of mentally disabled twin brothers. Van Houtryve's portfolio focused on Moldova's election of the Communist Party in Spring 2009 and the accusations of fraud that spurred demonstrations.

POYi's "Documentary Project of the Year" award went to Reuters for their project titled "Times of Crisis: The Year of Global Change." The entry examined the worldwide impact of the economic meltdown on both the human level and on individual nations.

Multimedia entries continue to dominate the final five days of judging and included a wide range of media winners from The New York Times and Dallas Morning News, to National Public Radio (NPR). The "Best Use of Photography Online" went to NGM.com, National Geographic magazine's online component.

In the Editing Division, the Los Angeles Times won the "Angus McDougall Overall Excellence in Editing Award." The judges praised the Los Angeles Times: "For its consistent approach and dedication to photojournalism in both print and multimedia.

Among additional prestige awards, Thomas Lekfeldt won the "World Understanding Award" for his documentation of a child's battle with cancer in the project, "A Star in the Sky." Every year 200,000 children develop cancer around the world. The project follows a five-year-old Danish girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Brian L. Frank, of Redux, won the "Global Vision Award" for his documentation of the environmental challenges facing the Colorado River. Stephanie Sinclair earned the "Community Awareness Award" for "Polygamy in America." And the "Best Photography Book Award" went to "Rape of a Nation" by Marcus Bleasdale.

POYi premiere award winners are presented with Tiffany crystal engraved trophies and cash prizes. A complete list of all the winners may be found online at www.poyi.org.

Twelve of the most highly respected professionals in our field reviewed more than 42,000 images during the three weeks of judging. The grueling and intense process began on Sunday, Feb. 14 and continued through Friday, March 5. During the first week, four judges reviewed entries in the General Division categories and Newspaper Picture Stories, followed by another panel the next week for Freelance / Agency Picture Stories, and a third panel for Multimedia / Editing Division.

Pictures of the Year International conducts the international competition as a program of The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism. RJI is journalism's advanced studies center whose mission is to engage media professionals, scholars and other citizens in programs aimed at improving the practice and understanding of journalism in democratic societies. Since its founding in 1944, POYi has become the oldest and one of the world's largest and most highly respected photojournalism competitions. For six decades, newspaper and magazine photographers have sent their strongest images to be judged in an annual contest started by the late Cliff Edom, the University of Missouri professor who coined the term "photojournalism."

POYi prides its contest as providing an educational and professional development role within an academic setting. Five graduate students serve as POYi coordinators each year with the assistance of many other student volunteers. The dedicated five - Michelle Peltier, Katie Wood, Calin Ilea, Jakob Berr, and John Schreiber - sorted thousands of photographs, stories, pages, books, and Web links, then orchestrated the technology to display the work during the contest. Beth Suda served as the contest program manager and coordinated visiting students from other universities, plus scheduled student volunteers over the three-week judging period.

An impressive program by the premiere winners is slated for the annual POYi Education & Awards Program to be held in Los Angeles at The Annenberg Space for Photography on June 24-25. POYi will be working in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation to host this extraordinary recognition of the world's best photojournalists. The two-day event is free to anyone wishing to attend. Details on the program agenda and accommodations will be posted on this site within the coming days.

Selected winning photographs are available upon request. For more information, feel free to contact POYi director Rick Shaw at 573-864-7691 or email shawrf@missouri.edu.