Tribune-Review photographer Stephanie Strasburg was runner-up for one of the top awards given by the National Press Photographers Association.
In addition, Trib photographer Brian F. Henry won first place for a feature multimedia story.
Strasburg's photo essay, “In the shadow of steel,” about residents in struggling Mon Valley communities, won second place in the annual competition for the Cliff Edom New America Award . The NPPA says the prize, named for a University of Missouri professor who co-founded the Missouri Photographic Workshop, recognizes excellence in photographic storytelling about communities, groups and issues often under-covered by the mainstream press.
The New America Award went to Jim Gehrz of the Minneapolis Star Tribune for photos of North Dakota residents trying to reconcile their new oil wealth with their prairie heritage. Third place went to Nick Oza of The Arizona Republic.
Strasburg's photos were published online and in print with a report on the plight of once-thriving communities Clairton, Duquesne and McKeesport. A graduate of Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., Strasburg became a full-time Trib photographer after interning at the paper in summer 2012. Her work also has appeared in The New York Times, Denver Post, Boston Globe and Dallas Morning News. She traveled to Cuba to chronicle Pope Benedict XVI's visit there in 2012.
Henry won first place for “Never Forget,” a video about last year's Sept. 11 memorial observance at the crash site of United Flight 93 in Somerset County. Henry became a full-time Trib photographer after a 2005 internship. He is based in Greensburg.
The NPPA, founded in 1946, has more than 6,500 members.
