Judges

Please click on a name to read the judge biography:

Chris Addison

Addison/Ripley Fine Art

Philip Brookman

Philip Brookman is Chief Curator and Head of Research at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. He is currently working on a retrospective exhibition project of photographer Eadweard Muybridgefor the Corcoran. He has organized major exhibitions for other museums including the Tate Modern, London, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He was previously Senior Curator of Photography and Media Arts at the Corcoran, and has held curatorial positions at Washington Project for the Arts, El Centro Cultural de la Raza, San Diego, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is also a photographer, filmmaker, writer, and editor. He graduated with degrees 20th Century Art History and Fine Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Brookman recently completed work on several exhibitions and books, including Modernism: Designing a New World, Sally Mann: What Remains, Common Ground: Discovering Community in 150 Years of Art, and Robert Frank: London/Wales for the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Robert Frank: Storylines for the Tate Modern and Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona. Brookman’s other recent projects for the Corcoran include the exhibitions and books and web sites Emmet Gowin: Changing the Earth, Media/Metaphor: The 46th Biennial Exhibition, and Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks. Brookman has since 1994 produced a number of other traveling exhibitions and books for the Corcoran, including Raised by Wolves: Photographs and Documents by Jim Goldberg, Hospice: A Photographic Inquiry, The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America, Arnold Newman: Breaking Ground, Arthur Tress: Fantastic Voyage, Photographs 1956-2000. He was also co-curator of the exhibitions and co-editor of the books Robert Frank: Moving Out for the National Gallery of Art, Washington and Robert Frank: New York to Nova Scotia for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Beth Howell Caldwell

Beth Howell Caldwell has degrees in Mass Communication from Maryland’s Frostburg State University and Visual Journalism from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.  She began her career in Chicago at Stone (Getty Images) as an account executive, transitioning to a Georgetown branding agency as a photo/art researcher and buyer, and then as a photographer for a local studio in Rockville. Beth is currently works as an Interactive Photo Editor at Discovery Communications focusing on such networks as Animal Planet, Planet Green, TLC, and the Travel Channel. Beth, along with her husband Fletcher, are board members of the DC/South chapter of ASPP and also own their own small business photographing portraits and events (for the sheer love of it) – www.swell-photo.com.

Rebecca Crumley

Rebecca Crumley is the "Real Weddings" photo editor at The Knot Inc., the leading wedding resource. She is responsible for assigning and selecting photos for each "Real Wedding" story featured in The Knot, The Knot Weddings, 70 regional online markets and other syndicated projects. Crumley has previously worked for The Maine Photographic Workshops and The Smithsonian Institution.

Beth Ferraro

Beth Ferraro was born in Gilbertsville, a small suburb of Philadelphia. After receiving her BFA in Photography and Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Beth freelanced as a Photo Editor in NYC. She currently is a Photo Editor at Newsweek Magazine in Washington DC. Along the way she has also worked as a screen printer, at a gourmet popcorn shop and as a photographer for surf retreats in Australia. Most recently, Ferraro has worked on her own collages, volunteers with a women's photographers group and is involved with a non-for-profit that offers outreach to sex workers. When not volunteering or creating, she spends her time traveling, biking and dreaming of the beach.

Deanne Fitzmaurice

Deanne Fitzmaurice is a Pulitzer Prize winning freelance photographer based in San Francisco. Her work has been published in Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, the NY Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, and People Magazine. In her 18 years at the San Francisco Chronicle, she won the prestigious Casey Medal and the Associated Press’s Mark Twain Award, in addition to awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, National Press Photographers Association, Best of Photojournalism, Pictures of the Year International, California Press Photographers Association, Atlanta Photojournalism Competition. Deanne was a finalist in 2005 for UNICEF¹s Photo of the Year award. Her work has been shown at Visa pour L’Image in Perpignan, France, the largest international photojournalism festival. She also has been a contract photographer for the best-selling Day in the Life books. She is frequent lecturer on photojournalism, speaking at the 2008 Imaging USA convention in Tampa, Florida, 2007 PhotoPlus in NY, 2005 NPPA Women in Photojournalism conference in Phoenix, AZ, and the 2005 NPPA Flying Short Course. Deanne is married to photographer Kurt Rogers and lives in Northern California. In 2005, Deanne and Kurt co-founded the camera bag company, Think Tank Photo. In 2007, Deanne was named one of Microsoft's prestigious Icons of Imaging. In 2006, she was selected to serve as a committee member for the NPPA Best of Photojournalism international contest.

Heather Goss

Heather Goss is the Managing and Arts Editor of www.dcist.com, a web site that features news, arts and events in the Washington, D.C. area.  Originally from Southern California, Heather studied photography briefly in college.  Switching gears, she attended law school at American University and stayed in the nation's capital to work as an attorney at a major law firm, but still photographs the occasional party or friend's wedding. She began as a freelance visual arts critic with DCist.com in early 2006, and at the end of that year designed, organized, and curated the now annual DCist Exposed Photography Show, which features talented amateur photographers and has enjoyed two years of popular exhibits.  Recently, Heather created www.tenmilessquare.com, an organization that strives to promote new photographers in the Washington, D.C. area.

Tipper Gore

Named one of the Ten Most Admired Women in the World, Tipper Gore has brought her warmth, charm and infectious energy to communities and organizations around the globe. A dedicated, hands-on advocate for issues of mental health, homelessness, and violence in the media, she uses stories from her own life of public service to inspire and enlighten her audiences.
As Mental Health Policy Advisor to President Clinton, Mrs. Gore was committed to eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness and educating Americans about the need for quality, affordable mental health care. In June of 1999, Mrs. Gore chaired the first ever White House Conference on Mental Health that addressed stigma, discrimination and parity in mental health care. In 1990, Mrs. Gore founded Tennessee Voices for Children, a coalition to promote the development of services for children and youth with behavioral, emotional, substance abuse, or other mental health problems. She also served as co-chair of the Child Mental Health Interest Group, a non-partisan group of Congressional and Administration spouses.

As Special Advisor to the Interagency Council on the Homeless, Mrs. Gore worked continuously to raise public awareness of homeless issues and to improve the effective delivery of federal homeless assistance resources and program coordination at the state and local level. She has experienced great success with her efforts as co-founder and chair of Families for the Homeless, a non-partisan partnership of families. She partnered with the National Alliance for the Homeless to co-author The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America, a collection of photography by Mrs. Gore and other prominent photographers focusing on solutions to end the problem of homelessness.

In 1996, Mrs. Gore published Picture This, A Visual Diary, which is a personal photographic representation of life as wife of the Vice President. Proceeds from this book were donated to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council in Nashville, TN.

In 1978 and 1979, as Chair of the Congressional Wives Task Force, Mrs. Gore helped draw attention to the issue of violence in the media and its effect upon children. She subsequently co-founded the Parents' Music Resource Center in 1985 to promote parental and consumer awareness of the various themes in popular entertainment that are marketed toward children. Her first book, Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society is a guide to parenting and the media.

Mrs. Gore’s latest books, written with her husband, are Joined at the Heart and The Spirit of Family.

Mrs. Gore received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University in 1970 and her Master's degree in Psychology from George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in 1975. Mrs. Gore worked as a newspaper photographer for the Nashville Tennessean until her husband was elected to Congress in 1976.

Born Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson on August 19, 1948, Mrs. Gore grew up in Arlington, Virginia; she was nicknamed Tipper by her mother. In 1970, she married Al Gore. They live in Nashville, TN, have four children and three grandchildren.

Ruth Schilling Harwood

Photographer Ruth Schilling Harwood is the assistant director at Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD. She taught photography for several years at Montgomery College, Rockville and Mount Vernon College, as well as nationally. She has had numerous exhibitions and her work is in several public collections including the Addison Gallery of Art, Andover, MA; The Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France; The Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME; and Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.

She has curated exhibitions for Montpelier Arts Center and as an independent curator. These include Behind the Curtain: American Photographs from the NIS (2001); Seeing is Believing (2002) an exhibition of Maryland photographers, and Digital Sequences (2008) featuring the work of photographers Chris Jordan and Gail Rebhan.

Frank Herzog

After 36 years of broadcasting in Washington, Frank Herzog is slowing down a little. He will be filling in as a news anchor on WTOP Radio - Washington's top rated station - recording commercials and performing as a free lance screen actor in films being produced in the Washington area. He recently played the role of a judge in a movie called "Step Up", made appearances in National Treasure II and just finished work in "State of Play" with Ben Affleck.

Frank is probably best known as the Voice of the Washington Redskins - a position he held for 25 years, working with Sam Huff and Sonny Jurgensen. A few fans will remember Frank was also the Voice of the 1978 World Champion Washington Bullets in the NBA.

During his career with WTOP Television, WJLA-TV and then WUSA Television he also broadcast college football and basketball games for CBS, telecast Maryland and Bullets basketball and worked as a news reporter, news anchor, sports reporter and sports anchor.

Frank and his wife, Sharon, live in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where they raised three daughters: Kristen, Katie and Allison. Now semi-retired, Frank is pursuing a number of career paths that interest him while continuing his attempts to play a halfway decent game of golf and take interesting photographs.

David Hicks

David Hicks was born in Arlington, Virginia.  He grew mostly in Middleburg, Virginia, graduated from Loudoun County High School, and received a painting degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.  After college, he worked for a billboard company, where his assignments included painting the Marlboro man at RFK Stadium. He particularly liked painting food-including an eight-foot chicken leg and a similarly proportioned ice-cream sundae. Many art-related jobs later, he began his photo career as a photo researcher for Uniphoto Picture Agency.  Eventually, he landed at The White House, as a photography editor for Clinton.  More recently, he was a photo editor at Washingtonpost.com and deputy photo editor at USA Weekend.  He is currently the photography editor for The Washingtonian.

Leora Kahn

Leora Kahn is founder of Proof: Media for Social Justice, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to create awareness of the issues faced by populations in post conflict societies and to encourage social change through the use of photography and education. Leora has been the director of photography at Workman Publishing and Corbis. She is currently working on global projects with Amnesty, Participant Films and the United Nations.  She recently completed a book entitled " Darfur: 20 years of war and genocide" with Amnesty and curated an exhibit that will tour the US this year with the Holocaust Museum of Houston. Leora is working on an exhibition in Rwanda with Aegis Trust about Hutu rescuers during the genocide. Her book on child soldiers will be published in November by Powerhouse book with the UN’s office on children and armed conflict.

Ethel Kessler

Ethel Kessler is a nationally recognized graphic designer and art director with over 30 years of experience solving communications projects for corporations, museums, private institutions, government agencies and professional service organizations. In addition to the work of her design firm, Ms Kessler is one of the four art directors in the country creating stamps for the United States Postal Service. Her first stamp design was the Breast Cancer Semi-Postal that was launched in 1998. The country's first semi-postal, a stamp with the combined goal of postage and fundraising, has raised over $65 million for the Breast Cancer research. A wide array of subject matter has been art directed by her and issued by the US Postal Service including: Toward Equality in Our Schools, Celebrating 50 years of the Civil Rights movement, and a ten year photographic series on Scenic American Landscapes.

Kessler currently teaches at the Corcoran School of Art And Design, was awarded the coveted AIGA DC Fellows Award in 2004, the MICA Alumni Award 2006, sits on the Board of Directors of the Louise Nevelson Foundation, and has been fortunate to receive over 200 awards for her work from her peers and design organizations nationally.

Bob Lautman

Professional Architecture Photographer

Paula Lerner

Paula Lerner is an award winning photojournalist whose work has taken her from the Amazon to Afghanistan.  Since 1985 she has been working for magazine clients including Smithsonian, People, Time, Newsweek, and Business Week  in addition to many foreign publications.   Her personal work has been shown in venues throughout the United States and has been part of national traveling exhibits.  Women's issues have been a recurring theme in her work, and she began photographing projects about women in Afghanistan in 2005.  In 2006 she collaborated with The Washington Post.com  to produce a multimedia feature about women in Kabul, which won a prestigious Webby Award.  She is currently at work on a new project about women in Kandahar.

Mark McInturff

Washington DC area Architect

Linda B. Meyerriecks

A 37-year veteran of the National Geographic Society, Linda has been Photo Editor for National Geographic Traveler since 1990.  As one of the Photo Editor team at Traveler, Linda is responsible for defining the photographic vision of the magazine, working with world renowned photographers.  While at Traveler, Linda has created and produced special issues, calendars, and developed a reprint program. Over the past fifteen years she also solicited prizes for Traveler's annual  "World In Focus" Photo Contest, the "Mobile World" cell phone photo contest, and their new "Great Outdoors" photo contest. She is also one of the judges for these contests.

Before Traveler, Linda was Illustrations Editor on many large format books produced by the Society working with many well-known scientists, writers, and historians. Previous to her work with the Book Division, she was Art Director for National Geographic promotions, and a layout assistant for National Geographic Magazine.   Linda is also an accomplished photographer, and has images published by National Geographic. She continues to freelance as a photographer and art consultant.

For over the past ten years, Linda has been teaching the "Travel Magazine Photography Assignment" class at the Maine Photographic Workshops. Linda was a Founder of the International Photography Workshops, which she directed in Hawaii, Italy, Austria, and Belgium. She continues to coach young photographers on the lecture circuit, freelance her photography, and judge photo contests. Linda received her BFA at Pratt Institute in New York.

John Nuhn

Photography Director, and previously Photo Editor, of the award-winning National Wildlife, a publication of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).  Also former Photo Editor of International Wildlife, another NWF magazine that ceased publication in 2002.  Journalism degree, self-taught photographer.  A founder and past president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA); currently president of the NANPA Foundation.  Also past chapter president, vice-president and treasurer of American Society of Picture Professionals, and member of the National Press Photographers Association, Society of Professional Journalists and Outdoor Writers Association of America, as well as an affiliate of the International League of Conservation Photographers.  Speaker, panelist and judge at many forums, including six NANPA Summits, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Maine Photo Workshops, Photography at the Summit, Valley Land Fund, Guilfoyle Report Photo Awards, International Wildlife Film Festival and Outdoor Writers Association conferences.

James Parcell

For nearly three decades, James A. Parcell had been a staff photographer for the Washington Post. He developed an interest in photography while working as a copy aide at the Washington Evening Star newspaper, alongside his father, a news editor. While there, he was encouraged in photography by several of the Evening Star photographers. "After getting my first picture published in The Star, I knew I would become a photojournalist." Jim soon found his way to The Washington Post. During the 1970's, he developed the fundamentals and philosophy of his craft, with guidance from the most talented Post photographers of that day, such as Arthur Ellis, Jim Atherton and Doug Chevalier. Jim's strength lies in feature photography. But as a committed daily assignment photographer, he was drawn to the variety and opportunities that were often realized from the sometimes seemingly routine work. Memorable assignments include a trip to Russia to document the adoption of twin 3-year-old orphans by a local family, as well as the story of Rebecca Lily, a young Takoma Park girl who endured years with a brain tumor. Jim is now a freelance photographer based in southern Maryland.

Bill Regardie

Founded in 1981, Regardie's Magazine -- The Business of Washington -- was as much as about  its extraordinary design as about its outstanding editorial content.  After all, how many mags gave their art director the same freedom and budget as the editor, and  expected the same fireworks from both.

From storied photographers like Rhoda Baer, Tom Wolff, William Coupon and Brian Smale, and art directors like Terry Dale, Fred Woodward and John Korpics, etc., Bill Regardie understood that it was his magazine's graphics that made it unique.

Regardie's Magazine closed in 2001. Regardie also founded New Homes Guide.

Bill Regardie is a Washington native who graduated with  BS and MBA degrees from American University.  He partnered in business with his wife of 43 years, Renay.  They have two sons and three grand children and live in the District.

He currently photographs only  men over 60.

Beth Ruoff

Managing Director at Oglivy Public Relations Worldwide

Chase Rynd

Chase Rynd assumed the position of executive director of the National Building Museum in September 2003. Prior to joining the Museum, Rynd served as executive director and CEO of The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) beginning in 1993, and in 1998, was appointed founding executive director and CEO of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, in Nashville, Tennessee.  Additionally, Rynd operated his own art gallery, Equivalents Gallery, for eight years in Seattle and served as chair of the Seattle Arts Commission for two years.  He is a graduate of Georgetown University.

Suzanne Sease

When Suzanne was asked to be in PDN portfolio makeover issue, she felt the decision to leave the Martin Agency, finally paid off. It was scary leaving a position held for over 12 years, establishing the art buying department and working with the best photographers in the World. But today, nothing makes Suzanne happier and more fulfilled, than the successes of her photography clients. She enjoys getting involved in every aspect of a photographers business from portfolio, promotional mailers, web sites to their estimates and invoices. The former senior Art Buyer at The Martin Agency then had the opportunity to work with Kaplan-Thaler on great accounts like Clariol Herbal Essence and AFLAC. And Capital One and their in-house advertising department. All this experience helps her understand the market. Now a creative consultant, she works with photographers from around the world who want an inside advertising agency perspective. Her focus is to assemble more effective portfolios and marketing materials in all different markets. She draws on her past experiences from working with regional to International photographers for such accounts as Saab, Mercedes Benz, Vassarette Lingerie, Health-tex, Wrangler Jeans, Bank One, Residence Inn, Finlandia Vodka, Remy Martin Cognac and Seiko International. When a client's portfolio lands that account they never thought they could achieve, she is happy. When she picks their selection of images for award shows including the CA photo annual and they get in for the first time in their career, she is happy. When her clients remember why they got into this business because they love the art of photography, she is happy. She has been a panelist and speaker for such organizations as PhotoExpo, APA, ASMP and Black Book. Suzanne has contributed to several articles, including "Ask the Expert": "Portfolio Makeover"; "The Art of the Estimate" in PDN. She has been traveling the country with speaking partner, Amanda Sosa Stone with "The Survivors Guide to Today's Photography Market". The materials from this program is also being published for release early 2009. She holds a Bachelor's of Fine Art from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Bonnie Stutski

Bonnie Stutski is the senior photo editor for SMITHSONIAN magazine. She assigns, researches, directs and edits photography to illustrate articles and for photo essays. Bonnie has 30 years experience in photography and publishing, working at various times as a freelance photographer, photo agent, documentary film producer, and as a former photo editor for National Wildlife Federation Books, the National Geographic Society and Time-Life Books. Bonnie is a member of ASPP (American Society of Picture Editors), NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association), and on the Affiliates Council of ILCP (International League of Conservation Photographers). Besides judging SMITHSONIAN magazine¹s annual photography contest, she has judged a number of other photography contests and exhibits
mounted by organizations such as Nikon and various artists’ guilds, galleries, and museums.

Jay Sumner

Jay Sumner is Director of Photography for National Geographic Kids and National Geographic Little Kids magazines, where she has worked with noteworthy photographers such as Frans Lanting and Annie Griffiths Belt. Previously a photo editor for Washingtonian magazine for seven years, she began her career at Teen Machine magazine in New York City, refining her photo editing skills and doling out advice to Kristy McNichol-obsessed teens in her column, "Jiving With Jaybird." She has also worked in the modeling industry, helping to launch such famous faces as Andie MacDowell's, who got her first commercial booking through Sumner.

Joyce Tenneson

Internationally lauded as one of the leading photographers of her generation, Joyce Tenneson's work has been published in books and major magazines worldwide.

Tenneson ranks among the most respected photographers of our time. Her images have been displayed in exhibitions worldwide and are part of numerous private and museum collections. Her portraits appear frequently on covers for magazines such as: Time, Life, Newsweek, Premiere, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine.

Vicki Goldberg, critic and author, writes of Tenneson: "Tenneson possesses a unique vision which makes her photographs immediately recognizable. She creates enigmatic and sensuous images that are timeless and haunting. Whether a classically draped nude or a mysterious portrait of a young child and aged man, her photographs speak to the fragility of life, its poignant beauty - and its pain. The images are deeply affecting, often evoking forgotten memories."

Tenneson is the author of thirteen books including the best seller, Wise Women, which was featured in a six-part Today Show series. She is also the recipient of many awards and, in a recent poll conducted by American Photo Magazine, readers voted Tenneson among the ten most influential women in the history of photography.

The Lucie Awards named Joyce Tenneson as Fine Art Photographer of the Year in 2005.

Susan Welchman

Susan Welchman has been a senior photo editor with National Geographic Magazine (NGM) since 1979 where she directs the photography for the Departments section. Prior to joining National Geographic Magazine, Susan was a photo editor at the New York Post.  Her career began as a photographer for the Philadelphia Daily News after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography at the Philadelphia College of Art.

Dan Westergren

Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic Traveler Magazine

Laurie Platt Winfrey and Fay Torresyap

Laurie Platt Winfrey founded Carousel Research, one of the first Picture-Editor groups, in 1984 after her previous stints at American Heritage and Newsweek Books (where she assigned entire books to one photographer- those were the days!). With Fay Torresyap, Carousel has been the longtime US bureau of European magazines, among them Geo France, Merian Magazine, and Ca M'interesse; it has also picture-edited Kids Discover ever since the magazine's inception. Carousel's many book clients include Harry N. Abrams, Reader's Digest, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Holt Rinehart, Time-Life, Prentice Hall, Houghton Mifflin, Marshall Cavendish, Florentine Films, Meredith Publishing, and Simon & Schuster. Carousel has helped illustrate hundreds of books, notably Janson's "Art History," Meredith's "100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century," Turner's "Our Times," Abrams's "Golf Courses of the US Open", Viking's "Liberty,", Florentine's "Baseball" and Reader's Digest's "Medical Breakthroughs." Plus the visual historic survey of Ellis Island before its restoration and the stills for 'River Runs through It' and 'Barbershop 2' and permissions for NEH's 'Picturing America' and Jefferson Lecture. Carousel's offshoot picture agency (Laurie Platt Winfrey, Inc.) is a collection offering images from Newsweek Books, Bradley Smith, Seth Joel, and Reader's Digest Books. Laurie Winfrey is custodian of the estate of Edward Steichen. Fay Torresyap is founder of Bluedot Projects.