Best Multimedia Package - Sites over 500K views/month

Winner's comments:
"I'm honored to have won this award. Thank you, judges, for your thoughtful comments.

I spent the first 20 years of my career observing the world through a still camera lens. In March 2000, I completed a video workshop (Platypus) for "still" photojournalists at the University of Oklahoma. Now I've added another perspective. I observe life not only in moments, but also in sequences.

A few years ago, the Times published a series on the foster care system. It left me questioning what happened to such damaged kids when they aged out of the system. After weeks of research, navigating miles of red tape with foster care authorities, numerous interviews, and finally a written court order from the presiding juvenile judge -- I was granted access. Phil Willon was assigned to write the story.

I had also decided to shoot both stills and video, hoping to utilize both media and present the story in a variety of ways. The stills could be used for print publication, the video for web streaming and/or television broadcast. With each piece cross-referencing the other, this truly multi-media package could garner maximum exposure across several platforms.

The learning curve for the video was a daunting task, since it was my first project. I was fortunate to get periodic feedback from Rolf Behrens, an instructor I had met at the video boot camp at the University of Oklahoma. We produced a 10-minute rough cut and Behrens, who had independently produced other pieces for ABC's Nightline, took the trailer to Tom Bettag, the show's executive producer. Bettag was intrigued with the idea and we set in motion the process of producing a series for the late-night news show.

"Crashing Hard Into Adulthood" had grown into an eight-page color special section for the Times and a three-part series for Nightline, scheduled for Sept. 18-20. Unfortunately the devastating events of Sept. 11 intervened and everything was put on hold. Finally, on Dec. 2, the story was published as a Page 1 special report in the Times, with five inside pages. And, "Nightline" is still committed to airing the series in the near future." -- Gail Fisher, LA Times

Judges' comments:
Despite a confusing entry point, the content, quality and diversity of storytelling led the LA Times'"Crashing Hard into Adulthood" to a first place position in Best Multimedia Package category. Judges especially cited the Flash picture and audio packages, as well as the stand-alone video mini-documentaries for their excellence in presenting these three stories of youths struggling with the challenges of adulthood, homelessness, pregnancy and domestic violence. Production and presentation tools came together to bring this long-term project alive on the web.

Judges chose the New York Times' "Photographer's Journal: Frontiers of War" as second place winner due to this site's vibrant, moving imagery and elegant design. Photographs that were not ideally sequenced with the audio -- and the lack of direction as to when the viewer/listener should advance to the next image -- were detrimental. The site was not fully compatible with all popular browsing platforms.

washingtonpost.com's retrospective, "Katharine Graham," effectively used audio and tightly edited imagery to earn a third place. -- J. Carl Ganter

Best Multimedia Package - Sites under 500K views/month

First Place: Touching Hearts - heraldsun.com (Joe Weiss)
Second Place: Tribute to the King - heraldsun.com (Joe Weiss)
Third Place: (no award*)

Judges' comments:
Both entries in this category were ambitious and successful examples of multimedia storytelling on the web. "Touching Hearts" had a nicely balanced combination of linear and user-controlled elements, using Flash vignettes tied together by clean navigation. The pacing was at times slow and the typography awkward, but those factors did not keep the judges from being drawn into the stories of the children and their doctors.

"Tribute to the King" offered multiple viewing options depending on the users' connection speed. This was especially important since the video required long download times. -- Maria Bunai

Best Multimedia Package - Independent

First Place: - (no award*)
Second Place: - (no award*)
Third Place: House of Pain - pixelpress.com; Los Dominos - Carolyn Kaster (tie)

Judges' comments:
"Los Dominos" and Pixel Press Magazine's "House of Pain," two contrasting approaches to visual storytelling, both tied for third place in the Best Multimedia Package category for Independent Journalism Sites. The tightly edited photos in "Los Dominos" synchronized well to the excellent sound cleverly woven into the story. The ambient sound of the domino tiles and the interviews of the players offer the user a peak at the gentlemen's daily lives. In contrast, the high-pace and unconventional presentation of Pixel Press' 'House of Pain' also caught the attention of the judges with its more shocking approach. The story's avant-garde editing and pacing pushed this package from honorable mention to tie for third place. -- Andrew DeVigal