Poynter.org -

March 20, 2002

Feature Single
First Place: Melissa Lyttle, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Meghan, 10, gets punished by her dad, Mark Stone for saying a cuss word, and her little brother Matthew, 15 mos., mimics the actions of their dad.

Feature Single judging criteria:
A picture of a "found" situation that features strong human interest, or a fresh view of an everyday scene. (Newspaper)

First place: Melissa Lyttle, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Second place: Alexander Zemlianichenko, The Associated Press
Third place: J. Albert Diaz, Miami Herald
Honorable mention: Rick Sinclair, Worcester Telegram & Gazette; Erik Refner, Berlingske Tidende; Barton Cromeens, Abilene Reporter-News; Landon Nordeman, Concord Monitor; Davis Turner, The Free Lance-Star.

Winner's Comments:

"I'm taken by surprise by this. It's hard to believe. There's a lot of amazing work out there so it's definitely a shock. (The photograph) was from a story that I worked on for eight months about homelessness through the eyes of children. It was one of those moments that just happened in front of me. It was an incredibly dark situation and I couldn't tell where the light was falling. I hoped I had enough to make the frame. I got two pictures off before the girl was sent to the corner to be punished. It was one of those moments true to my heart. It's universal. Everybody could relate to being punished. It's one of the things that show really good people, but who are in a bad situation."

-- Melissa Lyttle

Overall Judges' Comments:

This photograph is just such a revealing moment with stunning generational character. The symmetry and shadowy nature of disciplining of Meghan by her father and little brother is priceless.

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