Magazine Feature Picture Story
First place: Ami Vitale, Panos/Getty Images

Winner's comments:
First I want to thank my family and Rich Beckman, the greatest friend, teacher and inspiration who keeps me going when I want to give up. And next the Tsairis family as well as everyone at the Alexia Foundation for their support with this story. Events of the past year have made their work that much more timely, and their desire to promote aspiring photographers on projects like this has been a tremendous inspiration. Their generosity and vision have been instrumental in allowing myself and others to help bridge the gap between our different cultures. Perhaps now, more than ever, the need for such work is critical, and I hope people will be able to see past mere headlines to get a true sense of who we all are. I am thrilled that this story is getting recognition but the real stars are Abi, Ansalige, Fama, Awa, Umu, Khady and everyone in Dembel Jumpora who gave so much and opened up my eyes to the beauty, wonder and sadness of their lives. Through it all, I am reminded of how similar we all are despite the distances between us. One memory in particular reminds me of this -- My last evening I sat with a group of children beneath a sea of stars talking into the night about my return home. One of the children innocently asked me if we had a moon in America. It seemed so symbolic and touching that he should feel like America was a separate world, and serves as a constant reminder that we are all tied together in an intricate web, whether we believe it or not. As a journalist, I hope we highlight our surprising and subtle similarities as well as the obvious differences between all of our
cultures. -- Ami Vitale

Overall judges' comments:
"The thing that photographs are supposed to do are: One, tell a story and inform the readers; and Two, to evoke some kind of emotional response. This has a story woven all the way through. There is not a wasted image in this essay. We had a lot of picture stories in which, looking at the contact sheet, we would want to put our hand over one bad image. This essay progressed along and one image helped the next and helped the next and gave a complete story. The photographer had a photographic style and a look that went right through the whole essay and tied it all together. The image of the boys is just haunting. The subject is not normal dinning room table dinner conversation, but it gives you a better understanding of the culture." -- Robert Hanashiro