MELISSA FARLOW
MELISSA FARLOW is a freelance photographer that has contributed 14 stories to National Geographic magazine. Previously she was a staff photographer at the Pittsburgh Press, the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times. She was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of desegregation in the public schools while at the Louisville newspapers. Farlow worked in three African countries for Women in the Material World, a book comparing women’s roles in different cultures. She photographed in Chile, Peru, and Mexico for a book on the Pan-American Highway and also for a National Geographic book titled Wild Lands of the West. Her images have won multiple awards in the Pictures of the Year International competition and other
contests. She received her B.A. degree in Journalism from Indiana University and her master’s degree from the University of Missouri where she also taught photojournalism. She has been a faculty member at the Missouri Photo Workshop, the Center for Photographic Studies in
Louisville, and the Anderson Ranch of Fine Arts in Aspen, Colorado. Farlow is married to Randy Olson, also a longtime National Geographic contributing photographer.
STEPHEN M. KATZ
STEPHEN M. KATZ was named Newspaper Photographer of the Year by POY International in March 2008. He is currently a staff photographer for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia where he has worked since 2004. Katz’s career as a photographer began at a small twice-weekly newspaper in Ashland, Virginia after graduating from Temple University with a Masters Degree in journalism. He next moved to a chain of daily Media General newspapers in northern Virginia where he was quickly promoted to Director of Photography with a staff of seven photographers. Next stop was Fredericksburg, Virginia to be Photo Editor of The Free Lance-Star which became the top photography paper in the National Press Photographers Association’s Region 3. Following his stint in Fredericksburg, Katz moved to Bangor, Maine to become the
Senior Photographer and then the Assistant Photography Editor at the Bangor Daily News. Katz’s work has been published in several magazines and books and has been exhibited around the country. He has received numerous state, regional and national photography awards, including
top honors from the NPPA’s Northern Short Course (POY 2008), Southern Short Course (POY 2007), The Associated Press and Society of Newspaper Design. Recently Katz placed third in NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism competition. Prior to focusing on photojournalism, Katz had a varied career - graduating from Dickinson College with a degree in Anthropology, taking a job as a social worker in Washington, DC and then working in public relations for several years.When not shooting for The Pilot, Katz teaches photojournalism at Tidewater Community
College and freelances for a number of NGO’s and the United Nations, covering global health issues in a multitude of third world countries with a recent emphasis on West and Central Africa.
TOM KENNEDY
TOM KENNEDY is an internationally-known visual journalist with extensive experience in print and online journalism, including positions as Managing Editor for Multimedia at The Washington Post and Director of Photography for the National Geographic Magazine. He has created, directed, and edited visual journalism projects that have earned Pulitzer Prizes, as well as EMMY, Peabody, and Edward R. Murrow awards. Kennedy has been a featured speaker at some of the most prestigious journalism conferences and media workshops around the
world, while also consulting to various academic institutions and international media companies on topics ranging from media management to multimedia storytelling and innovating within a corporate environment.
As the Managing Editor for Multimedia at washingtonpost.com, Kennedy conceptualized and developed its multimedia section, and created the first documentary video team to produce stories for a newspaper website. His expertise in identifying, recruiting, and managing
creative talent led to a continuous stream of professional awards over an 11-year period, while also generating 16 million page views per month for visual content and contributing revenue via high-CPM video pre-roll advertising. Prior to joining washingtonpost.com, Kennedy was the Director of Photography at the National Geographic Society for ten years. He directed the Photographic Division that produced all still photography for the Society, with the primary focus on National Geographic Magazine. While at the Philadelphia Inquirer as Deputy Graphics Director, Kennedy directed two projects that earned Pulitzer Prizes for feature photography. Early in his newspaper career, he worked as a photojournalist at The Gainesville (FL) Sun and The Orlando (FL) Sentinel Star.Kennedy serves on the Board of Advisors for The Knight Center for International Journalism within the School of Communication at the University of Miami, and on the Board of Visitors for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He is also an advisor to visual journalism programs at the University of North Texas and University of Florida, as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the Eddie Adams Photo Workshop. Kennedy graduated cum laude with a degree in
journalism from the University of Florida.
Judging Schedule
Judging takes place Saturday, Feb 13, and Sunday, Feb 14
The schedule will be posted when available. Judging generally starts at approximately 9 am.
All times and categories are subject to change.
Judging will take place at National Geographic's Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW, Washington DC. The public is invited to observe the judging process.
