OHIO students Nate Swanson and Alie Skowronski placed second and fourth, respectively, in the Photojournalism Features and News Competition of the 2020-2021 Hearst Journalism Awards Program. The winners in this first competition of the year were selected from 117 entries submitted from 65 universities nationwide.
Swanson, pictured left, is a photojournalism major from Elmhurst, Illinois. He received a $2,000 award and automatically qualifies for the 2021 Championship.
Skowronski, pictured right, is a photojournalism major from Aurora, Ohio. She received a $1,000 award and will compete in the next photo competition, submitting additional photographs for the semi-final round of judging in April. Finalists will be chosen from that round to compete in the National Championship, along with writing, audio, television and multimedia finalists.
“We are so proud of both of these students and happy that they are recognized by this prestigious contest,” Stan Alost, professor of Visual Communication, said. “Alie and Nate create amazing work that transports their audiences into lives and places that most of us would never experience otherwise. We are also proud that this pair follows in a long line of VisCom students recognized by this, as well as other contests.”
Many of Swanson’s photos submitted to the competition highlighted many pivotal events that occurred in 2020, such as the protests that broke out in the days following the death of George Floyd. Swanson recalls being in Chicago on the second day of riots watching thousands of demonstrators congregate in the streets, some spray painting “ACAB” and “BLM” on walls and windows with others holding posters and signs echoing protest chants.
“I followed the crowd, trying to stick together with my group,” Swanson explained. “Once crossing the bridge on Wabash, that's when things took a turn. Protestors were faced with a line of Chicago Police officers, donned in riot gear and both hands on their batons…Once across, the crowd clashed again with the police, as seen in the picture when the moment was captured. It felt like a blur, how fast everything happened and escalated from one thing to another. I've covered numerous demonstrations in the city before, but nothing to the likes of this.”
Ohio University placed second overall in the Intercollegiate Photojournalism Competition with the second highest accumulated student points from the first of two photo competitions held this year.
The 61st annual Hearst Journalism Awards Program added photojournalism to the competitions in 1970. The program also includes five writing, one audio, two television, and four multimedia competitions offering up to $700,000 in scholarships, matching grants and stipends.
“After all these years, it feels fulfilling to have placed so highly,” Skowronski said. “All the hard work that I have put into my career is paying off and I couldn’t have done this without the support from the VisCom faculty. They have truly helped shape the photographer I am today and taught me the importance of documenting history, news and otherwise.”