Northern Exposure College Photo Contest

The Winners!

College Photographer of the Year	Matt Sullivan, UMN
Runner up	Maddie Kasper, UW-Eau Claire

College Photographer of the Year: Matt Sullivan, UMN

College Photographer of the Year Runner Up: Maddie Kasper, UW-Eau Claire

College Sports Photographer of the Year

Claudia Staut, UMN

College Photo Story	Matt Sullivan, UMN
Second place	Sophia Marschall, UMN
Third place	Hannah Reynolds, UMN
Honorable Mention	Maddie Kasper, UW-Eau Claire

College Photo Story, First Place: Matt Sullivan, UMN

College Photo Story, Second Place: Sophia Marschall, UMN

College Photo Story, Third Place: Hannah Reynolds, UMN

College Photo Story, Honorable Mention: Maddie Kasper, UW-Eau Claire

College Feature	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College
Second place	Maddie Kasper, UW-Eau Claire
Third place	Matt Sullivan, UMN
Honorable Mention	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

College Feature, First Place: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

Colton Chorpenning (left) and Brie Rios share a kiss as they fly through the air on Satellite, a jet ride, at Lakeside Amusement Park in Lakeside, Colorado on Thursday, June 27, 2024.

College Feature, Second Place: Maddie Kasper, UW-Eau Claire

Joanne Bland, the youngest person to be arrested during the Civil Rights Movement, comforts student Jami Erkkila after an emotional teaching moment at the Foot Soldiers Park. Bland founded the education center and museum in 2021 to preserve the history of the Civil Rights Movement and fight against voter suppression.

College Feature, Third Place: Matt Sullivan, UMN

Justin Jensen heats the decals with a blowtorch to be taken off an ABC news station van in St. Paul on Nov. 13, 2024. “Much more efficient than using a heat gun.” said Jensen. “We have a fire extinguisher nearby.”

College Feature, Honorable Mention: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

Davis Elementary students line Broad Street, cheering as Edith Renfrow Smith passes by in a convertible during the Welcome to Grinnell Parade in Grinnell, Iowa on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Renfrow Smith, who was the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell College, returned to Grinnell for the dedication of a new building in her name.

College News	Matt Sullivan, UMN
Second place	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College
Third place	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

College News, First Place: Matt Sullivan, UMN

Minnesota State Patrol officers monitor protesters rallying outside the Minnesota House chambers in St. Paul on March 3, 2025. The protest was in response to a bill that would have banned trans women athletes from girls’ high school sports. No arrests were made, and the bill failed.

College News, Second Place: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

Firefighters battle the orange blaze of the Alexander Mountain fire west of Loveland, Colorado on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. The fire burned nearly 10,000 acres, destroying 29 homes and 21 outbuildings.

College News, Third Place: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

The Air Force Thunderbirds fly overhead as Air Force Academy cadets toss their caps and celebrate at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Thursday, May 30, 2024. The United States Air Force Academy graduated nearly 1,000 cadets in its ceremony for the Class of 2024, with Vice President Kamala Harris delivering the commencement address.

College Portrait	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College
Second place	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College
Third place	Claudia Staut, UMN

College Portrait, First Place: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

Kenya Taylor, the victim of an alleged assault at Grinnell College, poses for a portrait in Grinnell, Iowa on Nov. 6, 2024. Taylor, a gay, Black man, filed charges against Noah Grage, a 17-year-old from Durant, after an alleged attack that knocked out multiple of Taylor’s teeth.

College Portrait, Second Place: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

Reverend Wendy Abrahamson poses for a portrait after leading a prayer service aimed at reducing election anxiety at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Grinnell, Iowa on Nov. 5, 2024.

College Portrait, Third Place: Claudia Staut, UMN

Hannah Krause stands behind tinsel in her friends bedroom in Minneapolis, Minn. on June 22, 2024 in hopes of using the images as a promotion for her and her friends’ backyard drag show in July 2024.

College Sports Action	Claudia Staut, UMN
Second place	Claudia Staut, UMN
Third place	Joy Edwards, UMN
Honorable mention	Claudia Staut, UMN
Honorable mention	Hannah Reynolds, UMN

College Sports Action, First place: Claudia Staut, UMN

University of Minnesota athlete Khyah Harper defends the soccer ball in a game against the University of Iowa at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul, Minn on October 27, 2024. Minnesota won their last regular season game resulting in a 2-1 final score.

College Sports Action, Second Place: Claudia Staut, UMN

University of Minnesota athlete Amaya Battle holds possession of the basketball during a game against the University of Montana at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. on Nov. 24, 2024. Minnesota continued their undefeated season after winning 84-45.

College Sports Action, Third Place: Joy Edwards, UMN

Iowa State University player Jaob Vanderlinden narrowly misses catching the ball in a line out against the University of Minnesota on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in St. Paul Minnesota. Iowa State secured its fifth consecutive Heart of America Conference playoffs win with a score of 57-7 against Minnesota.

College Sports Action, Honorable Mention: Claudia Staut, UMN

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities athlete Abbey Murphy goes after the puck in a game against the University of Minnesota – Duluth at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. on Feb. 22, 2025. Murphy was the only person to score during the game resulting in a 1-0 win for the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

College Sports Action, Honorable Mention: Hannah Reynolds, UMN

Claire Reinke, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, swims freestyle during the men’s and women’s Alumni Meet at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, Oct. 25 2024. Reinke is an All-American ranked athlete in the 100 Fly and 200 IM.

College Sports Feature	Pooja Singh, UMN
Second place	Pooja Singh, UMN
Third place	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College
Honorable mention	Sophia Marschall, UMN
Honorable mention	Claudia Staut, UMN
Honorable mention	Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

College Sports Feature, First Place: Pooja Singh, UMN

Redshirt sophomore Max McNelly remains undefeated this season in front of a sold-out crowd at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis on Feb. 18, 2024. Minnesota fell to Iowa 23-11.

College Sports Feature, Second Place: Pooja Singh, UMN

Gopher wrestlers sign autographs for fans before defeating Purdue 35-6 at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025.

College Sports Feature, Third Place: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

Maddox Lanning of Chatfield lays on his back as his sister checks on him after a close finish in the 5K race at the Section 1A Championship in Rochester, Minnesota on October 24, 2024.

College Sports Feature, Honorable Mention: Sophia Marschall, UMN

Sydney Friedly, Sela Lynk and Avery Minor of the Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knights celebrate after hitting a successful spike against the Orono Spartans during the Section 6AAA volleyball game at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in St. Louis Park, Minn. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. Benilde-St. Margaret’s won against Orono with a final score of 3-0, advancing them to the next sections game held on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

College Sports Feature, Honorable Mention: Claudia Staut, UMN

Kennedy Klick, Brynn Senden, Niamya Holloway and McKenna Johnson all step onto the basketball court to celebrate a three-point shot made by a teammate in Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. on Jan. 22, 2025.

College Sports Feature, Honorable Mention: Zachary Spindler-Krage, Grinnell College

The crowd watches the first 250 Moto at AMA Pro Motocross Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley Park in Lakewood, Colorado on June 8, 2024.

COLLEGE CONTEST RULES

ELIGIBILITY

The college division is open to students who are residents of or attending school in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2024. All work must have been taken or published in 2024. Those who graduated in 2024 or were working as interns and are no more than 6 months removed from graduation may compete in the college division.

ENTRY FEE

FREE – fee is waived for the college division
Register to enter here. You will receive a link to the contest entry form in the confirmation email.

AWARDS

First, second, and third place awards will be made along with any honorable mentions the judges feel are merited. The judges will not be required to give awards to three places in all categories. The winners will be announced at the Northern Exposure Conference hosted by the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Judges
- TBD
Prizes: Plaque for POY awards, certificates for individual category placements

ETHICS POLICY

Altering the content of documentary photographs through technology is prohibited. Image cropping, adjusting levels and basic toning is acceptable. It is fine to dodge and/or burn areas and to correct technical defects in a photo (such as minor dust spots or dropped pixels) as long as the work’s content is not changed. No use of AI to alter images is allowed. No removal of objects in the images as it was recorded is allowed. When in doubt, don’t. If contest organizers determine that a photo has violated these standards, the photograph will be disqualified. Documentary works that are proven to be “set up” or “staged” will also be disqualified. Organizers may request the original, unedited file if concerns arise.

COLLEGE CONTEST CATEGORIES

(CNWS) News – A picture of a scheduled or unscheduled event of general interest. Examples of this include but are not limited to: natural or manmade disasters and their cleanup/aftermath, protests, press conferences, accidents, etc.
(CFEA) Feature – A picture of a found situation with a strong-human interest and provides a fresh view of the familiar.
(CSPA) Sports Action– A picture that captures peak action and the spirit of competition.
(CSPF) Sports Feature – Any feature photo from a sporting event that is outside the field of play or is separate from the game action.
(CPOR) Portrait – A picture that reveals the essence of the subject’s character. Can be either a found moment or a setup image. (Individual images only – no diptics, collages, etc.)
(CSTO) Photo Story – A series of images that tells a story on a single topic or subject. A minimum of three images is required and there can be no more than ten images per story. The caption field in the first entry in the story should include a short title and a brief introductory caption to summarize the entire picture story. Individual captions for each photo are required.

‘OF THE YEAR’ AWARDS

(CPOY) College Photographer of the Year – Entries should include a variety of single images. The portfolio must include at least one picture story. A title slide must separate the picture story from the singles. The title slide should simply be a black image with white text with the name of your story.
- Maximum of 30 images including picture story. (title slide doesn’t count to 30 picture limit)
(CSPY) College Sports Photographer of the Year – Entries must include a variety of at least 3 different sports represented. Picture story is encouraged, but is not a requirement. If a picture story is included, it must include a title slide.
- Minimum of 8 single images required with a maximum of 20 images total including story (title slide doesn’t count to the 20 picture limit).

HOW TO ENTER THE COLLEGE CONTEST

1. NAME THE FILES CORRECTLY

CategoryCode_PersonalCode_Slug_PhotoNumber.jpg

CategoryCode = Four letter code for each category
PersonalCode = First four letters of your last name + first initial + middle initial
Slug (only applicable for stories) = One word description of any photo stories
PhotoNumber = Entry number (01, 02, etc.) You do not need to enter multiples in each category. For photo stories, be sure to number them in the order that best suits the story.

EXAMPLES

Single: cfea_ewenmj_01.jpg or cspa_ewenmj_03.jpg
Story: cpst_ewenmj_election_02.jpg or cpst_ewenmj_homespun_01.jpg
of the Year: cpoy_ewenmj_05.jpg

2. FILE INFO REQUIRED

The following information that must be included in the metadata for still images. Images without metadata will be disqualified:

Author/Photographer: Your full name.
Caption/Description*: Enter the caption here. This is mandatory for every picture, including individual pictures in a picture story. Captions may be projected onto the screen during judging. DO NOT add your name in the caption field. Any entry that includes your name or organization in this field will be disqualified. If you haven’t written captions before, this article provides tips. If you are unsure how to add captions in metadata, it is easiest in Photoshop, Bridge, Lightroom or Photo Mechanic. Photo Mechanic has a free 30-day trial, and will easily let you add captions to metadata. You must confirm that there is caption info included before you enter.
Date: Date photograph was taken.
City: Location image was taken.
State: Location image was taken.
Credit: Organization affiliation, if any.
Headline: Name of entry. This will be what is used when winning images are posted.

*For picture stories, must include a title slide with a brief introductory caption summarizing the entire picture story. This overall caption should be included in the metadata of the title slide before the first individual picture. The remaining pictures in the picture story should only include the caption for that photo.

3. NUMBER OF ENTRIES

A total of 15 entries allowed. “Of the year” categories count as one entry each.
There is a limit of five photos or stories for each non “of the year” category.
There is a limit of one entry for each “of the year” category.

4. FILE SIZE

RGB or grayscale JPG files only. Final images should be resized to 3000 pixels on the longest side.

5. UPLOAD ENTRIES

Upload correctly named and sized files to the website URL you will receive in your registration email confirmation.

ENTRIES SUBJECT TO DISQUALIFICATION

Missing the deadline
File names not properly slugged / formatted
Name / organization/ appears in caption field
Violating the contest’s ethics policy

THE 2024 CONTEST DEADLINE IS 11:59 PM (CST) ON MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2025.

The contest deadline will not be extended.

QUESTIONS?

Email Matt Gade: Matt.Gade@605Sports.com