Photojournalism News Releases Awards

Missouri Students Win 13 College Photographer of the Year Awards

The Contest Drew 11,024 Entries from 545 Student Photographers in 18 Countries

By Caroline Murray

Columbia, Mo. (Dec. 12, 2014) — Missouri School of Journalism students won 13 awards in the 69th annual College Photographer of the Year competition, which was hosted at the University of Missouri.

Six students won awards in nine categories, and the Missouri School of Journalism won an Award of Excellence in the Large Group Multimedia Project category.

The panel of judges, which included six industry professionals, selected the winners from 11,024 still images, 82 portfolios, 456 picture stories and 169 multimedia stories and projects entered by 545 student photographers from 99 colleges and universities in 18 countries.

Deadly Clashes in Odessa by Alexey Furman
A woman cries inside the Trade Union building as people are let inside after a planned protest, in the South-Ukrainian city of Odessa, Ukraine, on May 4 2014. At least 31 people died in a fire that broke out during clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protesters at the Trade Union building in Odessa on May 2, 2014. Apart from the fire death toll, the fighting left four people dead and 40 injured, police said. Photo by Alexey Furman.

“The title of College Photographer of the Year is highly sought after by young photojournalists,” said CPOY director Rita Reed. “It has been and remains the gold standard in collegiate photojournalism.”

Master’s student Alexey Furman was named the second runner-up College Photographer of the Year with a bronze award in the portfolio category. Furman won six total awards at this year’s CPOY competition, including a silver award and an award of excellence in the spot news category, a gold award in the general news category, and a bronze award and an award of excellence in the portrait category. A native of the Ukraine, Furman’s portfolio includes up-close and personal coverage of the unrest in the Ukraine this year.

Master’s student Kevin Cook was awarded silver in the general news category for his photo of two Philadelphian brothers mourning the loss of their third brother.

In the sports action category, junior Timothy Tai was recognized with an award of excellence for his photo of the Texas Bull Run in Martindale, Texas.

Kristen Zeis, BJ ’13, received a bronze award in the sports feature category for her photo of a competitor in the 2014 Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials.

Master’s student Roxana Pop was awarded a bronze award for her interpretive project on the community of Chautauqua, New York.

My Brother's Keeper by Kevin Cook
Roshawn Cox, left, and Jermaine Cox mourn over the loss of their brother Terrance “Bird” Cox. Bird, 25, who had no police record, was shot and killed by a Chinese takeout down the street from his house in North Philadelphia. Police described the murder as an “execution-style” ambush. Per capita, Philadelphia is the most dangerous city in the country. In 2014, Philadelphia is on pace for an annual rate of 14.8 homicides per 100,000. Second is Chicago, which is on pace for an annual rate of 12.6 homicides per 100,000 residents. Philadelphia also had the highest rate in 2012 and 2013. 82 percent of murders in Philadelphia are by gunfire. Photo by Kevin Cook.

Master’s student Mark Kauzlarich received an award of excellence for his domestic picture story depicting the daytime scene of Ferguson, Missouri, as demonstrators protested the death of Michael Brown.

Senior Lizz Cardwell and Terje Abusdal‘s project “Other People,” which profiles an unusual philanthropist, received an award of excellence in the large group multimedia project category.

Master’s student Kholood Eid was recognized with an award of excellence in the individual multimedia story or essay category for her project “Until Her,” which tells the story of a woman’s journey from an abusive childhood to becoming a clown named Feathers.

The College Photographer of the Year Competition was founded by Cliff and Vi Edom in 1945. The University of Missouri administers the contest with support from its co-sponsor, Nikon Inc., and entry is free to college students worldwide.

“While students may enter hoping to win a prize, CPOY’s greatest benefit is encouraging them to look at the work they have done in the past year to evaluate their successes and failures in deciding what to enter and help them establish their goals for the coming year,” Reed said.

Updated: July 31, 2020

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