Belleville, Ontario, May 27, 2015– Loyalist College is pleased to announce that second-year Photojournalism student Annie Sakkab is the recipient of the Student Photographer of the Year award from the News Photographers Association of Canada’s (NPAC) National Pictures of the Year (NPOY) awards competition, recognizing excellence in Canadian photojournalism. More than 1,880 submitted images were considered for the awards, which were announced at the NPOY Gala on May 9 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“Receiving this award feels amazing,” said Annie who will graduate in June. “It gives me a lot of confidence in my work. When I started the program, I was lost photographically; I didn’t know how to take my work further. So this recognition really shows how much I’ve grown as a photographer through Loyalist Photojournalism.”
In the NPOY Single Multimedia category, Annie was awarded third place for ‘Hearts of Feather’ and an Honourable Mention for ‘To be a Boy.’ Born in Jordan, Annie has lived in some of the world’s largest cities – London, Rome, Dubai and Amman. Today, she lives in Toronto where she runs Toronto Events Photography, a company specializing in corporate portraits, on-site corporate reportage and private events.
“Through the lens, students like Annie capture human interest stories that captivate our imaginations and inspire change,” said College President Maureen Piercy. “In Loyalist’s Photojournalism program, Canada’s only multi-year photojournalism program, we teach the ‘triple threat skill set’ of news and feature writing, still digital photography and multimedia storytelling. As photographers and journalists, our graduates are working throughout the world, from national dailies and smaller weekly newspapers to public broadcast stations and wire services.”
Five of Annie’s classmates were also recognized at the NPOY. Carla Antonio, Amanda Cheung, Dillan Cools, Maggie Naylor and Thomas Surian earned an Honourable Mention for their team multimedia project titled, ‘The Beacon of Hope,’ which follows the story of Prince Edward County resident Marc Seguin and his love for lighthouses as he struggles to preserve the County’s remaining five.
“It’s always gratifying when our students’ great work is recognized, especially at the national level,” said Acting Dean of Media, Arts + Design Kathleen Bazkur. “This caps a terrific year and I wish our graduates every success in their career endeavours.”
The following Loyalist Photojournalism student and graduates were recognized with NPOY awards, including Photograph of the Year and first place awards in the Feature, Pictorial, Single Multimedia and Team Multimedia categories:
Michelle Siu, independent (2011 student)
Photograph of the Year – Personality/Portrait – ‘Bernadette Bainbridge’
First, Third, and Honourable Mentions – Personality/Portrait category – ‘Bernadette Bainbridge’
First Place – Picture Story category – ‘Farmer Charles Bradley, 94,’Honourable Mention – Picture Story category – ‘Guatemalan Teen Moms’
Third Place – Social Issue category – ‘Teen Mom’
Peter Power, independent (1989 graduate)
First Place – Feature category – ‘Innu Swing’
Daniel Hayduk, AFP (2008 graduate)
First Place – Pictorial category – ‘Construction Worker’
Melissa Tait, Winnipeg Free Press (2010 graduate)
First Place – Single Multimedia category – ‘104-Year-Old Swimmer’
Brent Foster, Foster Visuals (2002 graduate)
First Place – Team Multimedia category – ‘The San Diego Highway Man’
Marta Iwanek, Toronto Star (2013 graduate)
Second Place – Feature category – ‘Boys Playing’
Honourable Mention – Single Multimedia category – ‘Chiara’
Jenna Hauck, Chilliwack Progress (1999 graduate)
Second Place – Spot News category – ‘MVA’
John Lehmann, The Globe and Mail (1991 graduate)
Third Place – Spot News category – ‘Pipeline Protest’
Cole Burston, The Globe and Mail (2010 graduate)
Honourable Mention – Spot News category – ‘Running Cop’
Darren Calabrese, National Post (2005 graduate)
Second Place – Pictorial category – ‘Steam Grate’
Tyler Anderson, National Post (2002 graduate)
Third Place – Picture Story category – ‘Trapper William Tozer’
Guillaume Nolet, independent (2014 graduate)
Second Place – Single Multimedia category – ‘Most of Us’
Ryan Jackson, Edmonton Journal (2006 graduate)
Second Place – Team Multimedia category – ‘The Black Nightmare’
Topher Seguin, Edmonton Journal (2012 graduate)
Second Place – Team Multimedia category – ‘The Black Nightmare’
About NPAC
NPAC is a volunteer-run, non-profit association comprised of professional and student photojournalists in Canada. NPAC champions quality and ethical photography in journalism. Read NPAC’s news release announcing NPOY award recipients.
About the Loyalist College Photojournalism program
Through hands-on learning in the new Digital Media Centre, Loyalist Photojournalism students learn advanced photojournalism techniques in digital photography, video capture and computer-based image processing. They build a strong portfolio of published work while photographing, writing and editing assignments for the student-run online news service QNet News. Students finish their studies with a four-week field placement, learning on the job with a magazine, newspaper, website, wire service or photo agency. Loyalist Photojournalism graduates work as photographers, reporters and editors for media outlets such as Sun Media, The Canadian Press, The Toronto Star, The Record, Montreal Gazette, and Maclean’s.
About Loyalist College
When it comes to grads getting jobs, Loyalist College is the #1 College in Ontario. According to Provincial Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results released in April 15, 2015, 89.3 percent of the College’s most recent graduates found employment within six months of graduation compared to the provincial average of 84 percent. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, Loyalist College is a close-knit community where students and their success come first. Loyalist provides personalized attention in small classes, rewarding field placements and superior student services. To prepare students for in-demand careers, Loyalist offers more than 60 full-time programs; apprenticeships; and 500+ online, distance and in-class courses, as well as opportunities for continuing education through more than 70 university transfer agreements. The College’s wide selection of advanced diplomas, diplomas and certificates aligns with market-driven disciplines including applied sciences, biosciences, building sciences, business and management studies, health science, human studies, justice studies, media arts and design, and skills and technology. In Ontario, the College’s new Digital Media Centre and the LEED® Silver certified Sustainable Skills, Technology and Life Sciences Centre are training centres of choice for students, as well as College business and industry partners. For more information on the College’s Belleville and Bancroft campuses, visit loyalistcollege.com
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Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing and Communications,
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistc.on.ca, 613-969-1913 ext. 2536