Competitions honor Times photographers

The photo staff of The Washington Times has earned 17 awards in three top annual competitions that determine the year’s most compelling images — and the nation’s best news photographers.

In the prestigious White House News Photographers’ Association awards Presidential category, Mary F. Calvert took first place for a photograph of British Prime Minister Tony Blair offering a delighted grin to Mr. Bush during a White House press conference last year.

“Spectacular photography has always been a hallmark of The Times, and the tradition continues,” Times Editor in Chief Wesley Pruden said.

Ms. Calvert also took a second-place award in the Insiders Washington category for a telling portrait of former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

Michael Connor won first place for his picture of former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott looking like the odd man out in a tense political climate.

Mr. Connor also earned an award of excellence for capturing the poignant moment of a serviceman’s homecoming.

Other winners in the White House competition included Maya Alleruzzo, who garnered two second-place awards in the Features and Pictorial categories. Astrid Riecken took a second-place award in the Sports Feature division.

Liz O. Baylen won two third-place awards in the Capitol Hill and the Pictorial categories, as well as an award of excellence in the Feature category.

J.M. Eddins Jr., Ross D. Franklin and Jessica Tefft also won awards of excellence.

In both the Pictures of the Year International competition and the National Press Photographers’ Association Best of Photojournalism contest, Nancy Pastor’s yearlong pictorial investigation of Maryland’s dying tobacco culture was singled out for the judges’ special recognition.

Her images won in two high-profile categories: the Community Awareness award and the Cliff Edom New America award.

In the Best of Photojournalism competition, Ms. Tefft earned a third-place award in the Nature and Environment category. In the Pictures of the Year competition, judges also gave her an award of excellence for her feature picture story on “The Marching Panthers.”