First Place
Zackary Canepari & Drea Cooper Panos Pictures
"UPPERCUT"
Second Place
Eric Seals Detroit Free Press
"WES LEONARD - A DEATH IN FENNVILLE"
Third Place
James Gregg The San Diego Union-Tribune
"DANCE WITH THE DEVIL"
Award of Excellence
Darren Durlach & Sopan Deb THE BOSTON GLOBE
"HONORING NBA GREAT BILL RUSSELL"
Award of Excellence
Stephanie Sinclair VII for ESPN The Magazine
"QUEEN OF KATWE"
Second Place
Eric Seals Detroit Free Press
"WES LEONARD - A DEATH IN FENNVILLE"
The small town of Fennville, Michigan made national news with their high school basketball team in a very tragic way. Wes Leonard, the teams star died of a heart attack suddenly on the court after making the game winning shot that sent his team into the playoffs. The strong bond of the community helped them get through his death. With the blessing of Wes's parents, the team played in the playoffs. The ended up losing but they still came out winners in the end.