Newspaper Photographer of the Year
First place: Carolyn Cole, the Los Angeles Times

Winner's comments:
"I'm very honored to be the first recipient of this NPPA award. The year 2001 was such a critical year for our country, the world, and for us all as individuals. It was a privilege to be able to witness some of the unfolding events. I was anxious to go to Afghanistan when asked by my editors at the Los Angeles Times. Most of the work I included in my portfolio was from the two months I spent there. I feel lucky to have met so many kind and courageous Afghan people and to have had the opportunity to show our readers the human side of a very inhumane situation. With all of the tragedy of last year, I find hope in the faces of young Afghan girls who I feel confident will have a brighter future. Thank you to all of the judges and organizers who dedicated many hours to make this contest a success." -- Carolyn Cole

Judges' Comments:
"To determine who has been the best photographer of the year is always a very taxing task. We have seen very many good pictures and good picture stories. Inevitably there will be one that is better than the others...This work offers an outstanding performance of someone who put talent and heart into her pictures. I'm extremely pleased with what I've seen. It's a kind of work that leaves me wanting to see much more. A well done job." -- HORACIO VILLALOBOS

"I thought that it had a style that weaved through all the images. All the images stood out on their own. Even the picture story. When you looked at the proofs, you just got a sense that something great was going to come on the screen. I'm a gut person first. When you looked at this portfolio, the emotion that went through the pictures got stronger and stronger as you went through. It bothered me a little bit that it was all pictures stories. I hate to send that as a message: That only somebody who is heavily into stories can win. I do want to say that any of the single images from these stories could have stood on its own." -- ROBERT HANASHIRO

"It was clearly above all the other entries. I don't feel that a whole portfolio has to be in black and white to provide a cohesiveness. There are some singles in here that are better in color. The aquarium would have been better. The Burka story was very strong in giving a voice to women in the world. The Burkas [images] was fantastic. The Afghan coverage, it was several rungs above the other entries."---BRIAN STORM

It separated itself going out as a body of work. She has a really creative vision and a great sense of purpose. She sees how it all goes together. It just socks you in the guts. I don't see this work as looking like newspapers versus magazines. This person sees so well. She's confident of what she sees and how she wants to record it. I hope that the LA Times is using it well. The black and white issue doesn't bother me as much." ---MICHELE STEPHENSON

"This portfolio of images stood out from the other ones because there's not a bad frame in here. This one is consistently excellent and all the frames are solid. The singles are strong, the stories are strong, the seeing is strong. This is exactly what we've been talking about all week. There was nobody close. That's why we gave one award and one honorable mention. She's out there on the edge of the envelope and everyone else has to catch up." ---CHERYL HATCH