Two Dispatch photographers win total of 17 awards

Two Dispatch photographers won 17 awards for their work documenting life and sporting events in Greater Columbus in 2023.

The Ohio News Photographers Association (ONPA) recognized the work of Dispatch photographers Brooke Lavalley and Adam Cairns.

In the category of Photographer of the Year for large news markets, Lavalley placed second and Cairns placed third for their work. OPNA also named

Lavalley second in the monthly clip contest for Photographer of the Year and Cairns second for Ron Kuntz Photographer of the Year.

Cairns was recognized with an Award of Excellence in the general news photo category for his coverage of the Issue 1 abortion ballot measure.

Lavalley finished second in the general news photo category for a picture of Gov. Mike Dewine speaking with the media before the start of a Redistricting Commission meeting, according to ONPA.

Lavalley finished first in the photo illustration category while Cairns placed third for a pickleball photo in the contest’s feature photo division. In the pictorial category, Cairns placed first for a photo of a Columbus police impound lot, and he placed second for a photo of the sturgeon supermoon, according to OPNA.

In the portrait personality category, Lavalley was recognized with two Awards of Excellence, including one for a fireworks photo and another for a photo of a family who relied on COVID emergency SNAP food benefits ending.

Cairns placed second and third in the spot news category, for photos of a SWAT team and of shell casings from a gun.

Cairns won several sports photography awards from ONPA.

He placed both first and third in the sports picture story category for his work covering the Ryder Cup golf competition and his work capturing images of Marvin Harrison Jr., a wide receiver at Ohio State University.

Along with the OPNA awards, Cairns was also recognized by Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) for a feature photo he snapped after the Columbus Crew’s MLS cup win in December. mfilby@dispatch.com @Maxfilby

BROOKE LAVALLEY/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Jasmine Wooten sits with her two children Arius Wooten, 8, left, and Naomi Wooten, 11, on her bed in their home on the East Side of Columbus. Jasmine is an artist and her work hangs on the wall behind her. Emergency SNAP benefits helped to feed her family during the pandemic.

COLUMBUS DISPATCH ADAM CAIRNS/ People of Ethiopian descent, including Kdusan Araya, middle, of Bexley and her mother, Tshainesh Mesfin, attend the Palm Sunday service at Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on the Near East Side.