(14 entries)

Judge: Kurt Wilson, director of photography, The Missoulian, Missoula, Montana Wilson, who has been picture editor since 1986, has won national Picture of the Year awards for both photography and photo editing.

First place
OSCAR PEREZ
Casa Grande Dispatch
"Burn."
"Shooting the firefighter behind the heat waves in this case made the photograph stand out. The composition of the firefighter in the curve of the flames works well."

Second place
OSCAR PEREZ
Casa Grande Dispatch
"Spill."
"The wide angle was the perfect choice for this photograph. It shows the magnitude of the spill from the right viewpoint. The footprints in the spill made the picture for me. Also, the subtlety of the highway patrol officer in the corner of the frame."

Third place
OSCAR PEREZ
Casa Grande Dispatch
"Blaze."
"Firefighters silhouetted in the flames is perhaps somewhat overdone, but the size of the flames and the body language of the firefighters made this work."

Honorable Mention
GREG BRYAN
Arizona Daily Sun
"Officer."
"This is a good simple portrait that shows good thinking on the photographer's part to make something nice out of little."