Ben Wirtz Siegel started working as a photographer at his hometown newspaper, the Medina Gazette, when he was 16. After getting a formal education in photojournalism from Ohio University, he worked at newspapers in New York, Michigan and Ohio and is now pursuing freelance work in Cleveland while teaching photography classes at Cuyahoga Community College, Lorain County Community College and Lakeland Community College.
First Place: Sentencing by Stephanie J. Smith. Nice tight shot of courtroom reaction.

Second Place: Hot-air balloon by Stephanie Weiss. Great light. Nice composition.
Third Place: DWI by Luis Sánchez Saturno. Great response time to a spot news event. The lens choice seems unnecessarily wide.