E&P's 6th Annual Photos of the Year

By: Greg Mitchell It was another year plagued by death and violence, from Gaza and Baghdad to Hurricane Katrina and a no-name tsunami. These disasters, natural and otherwise, are all represented in our prize-winning photographs this year, selected from among hundreds of entries. This year's contest drew wider interest than ever, in our four usual categories (news, features, sports, and multiple images/photo essay), plus a new one, sponsored by Nikon, called "Local Heroes." The winning entries in various circulation classes, plus honorable mentions, are displayed (Flash required) in our online gallery.

Our top prize photographer, Rome-based Marco Di Lauro, 34, of Getty Images, will pocket $1,000, as well as a new Nikon D70s digital SLR camera and lens system, provided by Nikon. For the first five years of his career, which began in 1993, Di Lauro shot as a freelancer covering the conflict in the Balkans. His images gained national exposure in The New York Times and USA Today, as well as in other publications. In 1998 Di Lauro started working for The Associated Press, and after the 9/11 attacks spent a great deal of time in Afghanistan. He joined Getty in 2002 and has since traveled widely in the Middle East and Africa and has spent several months in Iraq.

? Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images Palestinian boys watch as men stand on the roof of the remains of a synagogue at the Netzarim settlement in the Gaza Strip on Sept. 12, 2005, following the Israeli withdrawal.

How did he get the winning picture? Di Lauro tells E&P that he stood in front of the synagogue "for hours" on Sept. 12, capturing the destruction of the building by Palestinians after Israeli settlers in Gaza were ordered out of the area by their government. "I like to shoot a lot of images," he says. Thankfully, he reports, the boys in the photo didn't notice him taking the picture; if they had, they probably would have mugged for the camera. While taking this image, Di Lauro wondered, "What could the boys be thinking, looking up at their friends and neighbors?" Perhaps that's why the picture is so successful; viewers likely ask the same question themselves.

And the Winners Are...

Grand Prize - Marco Di Lauro, Getty Images

Local Heroes (Presented by Nikon) - Karl Rabe, Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)

Runners-up - Mike George, The Sun Chronicle (Attleboro, Mass.); Christine Dunshee Peterson, Worchester Telegram & Gazette (Worchester, Mass.)

News (Spot/General)

More than 250,000: Harish Tyagi, European Pressphoto Agency

100,000-249,999: Mike Woods, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, Ark.)

25,000-99,999: Marc Vasconcellos, The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass.)

Less than 25,000: Don Clark, Eagle Times (Claremont, N.H.)

Features

More than 250,000: David Guttenfelder, The Associated Press

100,000-249,999: Michael Kubel, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)

25,000-99,999: Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.)

Less than 25,000: Michelle Stocker, The Capital Times (Madison, Wis.)

Sports

More than 250,000: Robert Duyos, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

100,000-249,999: Craig Litten, Daytona Beach News-Journal (Daytona Beach, Fla.)

25,000-99,999: Shmuel Thaler, Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, Calif.)

Less than 25,000: John Nowak, The Ottowa Herald (Ottowa, Kan.)

Multiple Images/Photo Essay

More than 250,000: David Guttenfelder, The Associated Press

100,000-249,999: David Goldman, Boston Herald (Boston, Mass.)

25,000-99,999: Dominick Fiorille, Times Herald-Record (Middletown, N.Y.)

Less than 25,000: Joe Duty, Wise County Messenger (Decatur, Texas)

Honorable Mentions

John Tipton, The Porterville Recorder (Porterville, Calif.)
Peter Tobia, The Philadelphia Inquirer, (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Stephen Schmitt, The Journal News (White Plains, N.Y.)
Ola Torkelsson, Sydsvenskan (Malmo, Sweden)
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
Rick McKay, Cox Washington Bureau
Emilo Morenatti, The Associated Press
Don Seabrook, The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.)
Blaine Ney, Daily Mountain Eagle (Jasper, Ala.)
Ross Andreson, Elko Daily Free Press (Elko, Nev.)
Dan Ehl, Daily Iowegian (Centerville, Iowa)
Damir Sagolj, Reuters

Click here to view the online gallery. This gallery requires that you have Flash installed on your computer. If you are having trouble viewing the images, please send us an e-mail explaining your problems.