Alexia Tsairis was a photojournalism major at Syracuse University who used her camera as a means to draw cultures together. But in the winter of 1988, life took a turn for the worse when 35 Syracuse students were killed in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103-Tsairis included.
After she passed away, her parents were determined to support students with the same passion.
"After the crash, they came to the university looking for a way to memorialize Alexia," said David Sutherland, an associate professor of journalism. "We came up with this concept that is getting better every year."
The Alexia Foundation for World Peace supports budding student and professional photographers as they capture and share stories of the world.
Each year, the foundation holds an annual photography contest to award the most driven and talented photographers with scholarships and grants of up to $15,000. Student and professional entrants must submit a project proposal and portfolio of no more than 20 images.
The two divisions are judged separately, but not differently, says Sutherland. For this year's annual photography contest, 51 student and 240 professional proposals were received.
The professional pool was narrowed down to 35 portfolios by the Alexia Board, which manages the foundation, before facing the final scrutiny of a panel of three industry representatives.
Brian Storm, a multimedia pioneer and founder of MediaStorm.com, Sally Stapleton, a veteran Associated Press photo editor and assistant managing editor at The Day in New London, C.T. and Larry Nylund, deputy managing editor for The Journal News in White Plains, N.Y., formed the panel that would examine professional and student work.
The judges convened in the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at 10 a.m., and final deliberations were not made until 5 p.m. on Saturday. The audience of faculty and students ranged from 10 to roughly 35 as the day went on.
Andrew Henderson is a photography graduate student who has been coming to the Alexia judging since his undergraduate years.
"I think that this is a great opportunity for students to work on projects that interest them," Henderson said. "Whether its here in Syracuse or somewhere in the world there are certain stories that we need to go out there and pursue."
Out of all the submissions, only five students and one professional would receive funds to pursue the project of their choice. The student first-prize winner would receive a full scholarship to study photojournalism in London and an additional $1,000 grant.
Matt Eich, a student at Ohio University, won first place for a collection of photos of rural Ohio residents. With the grant money Eich said he will document other facets of rural life including coalmining, recreational activities such as raccoon hunting and social problems that are prevalent in many small communities, according to his project proposal.
To culminate his project, Eich hopes to produce a book, an educational multimedia presentation and a gallery show for the benefit of local Appalachians.
Those who finish in second through fifth place will also receive smaller project grants.
Stephanie Sinclair was the professional recipient of the $15,000 award. She was recognized for her portfolio entitled, "The Bride Price".
Sinclair's images were vibrant compellations of old and young Afghans, with each frame portraying the female struggle against marriage and oppression.
"My goal is to create a compassionate portrait of young girls worldwide who are being forced into early adulthood," Sinclair said in her proposal. "I want people to hear their haunting stories in their own small voices."
Sinclair's winnings will fund trips back to Afghanistan and Nepal so she can continue to not tell, but show their stories to all.
At one point, Stapleton, one of the contest's judges, said she was waiting for something more.
"Pictures are very visceral to me," she said. "I physically feel pictures."
This sensation was dubbed, 'the chill factor,' by Stapleton and the two other panel members. If a photo could grab the audience in the gut while expressing an original idea, there was a chance that the portfolio would see the next round of judgment.
"It doesn't matter if you're Chinese or Bangladesh or American you can look at a picture and get the communicating power from it," Sutherland said. "[Pictures] move emotions faster than probably any other communicative medium."
mjreiss@syr.edu
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