Sports Photography (under 25,000 circulation)

Winner: Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News

From the strain in the baserunner’s outstretched arm to the waiting glove looming inches above, there is a fabulous tension in the moment Mark Malone captured for the Chatham Daily News. The frame takes the reader into the game that afternoon, and it tells them the story of one important moment. There are the flecks of dirt, kicked aloft by the head-first slide and frozen in time, awaiting an umpire’s decision. The young player’s jaw is clenched, his face braced for impact. The framing, the focus and the elevation of the shot give the reader the best view of anybody in the park.

Chatham Diamonds baserunner Camden Blackburn tries to beat the tag by Seaway Surge first baseman Jack LaBrash during a minor bantam AA game in Baseball Ontario’s August Madness playoff tournament at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham on Aug. 22, 2021. Mark Malone/Chatham Daily News

Runner-up: Clifford Skarstedt, Peterborough Examiner

With a dramatic glimpse into a dangerous sport, Clifford Skarstedt takes readers into the driver’s seat of a race car seemingly ready to explode. Flames lick the windshield and rise off the side of the vehicle at Peterborough Speedway. The driver would escape serious injury, but the picture underscores a moment of great peril.

Driver Josh Inglis escapes serious injury as his car bursts into flames while competing in the Legends division on the opening night of the Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway on Oct. 8, 2021. Clifford Skarstedt/Peterborough Examiner

Runner-up: Elliot Ferguson, Kingston Whig-Standard

Having spent most of two years bottled inside while a pandemic swept the globe, Elliot Ferguson offers a refreshing glimpse of life outdoors. With wonderful symmetry provided not only by the sails, but also by the sailors leaning from their boats, the moment from Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston catches a reader’s eye and takes them onto the water and into the competition.

Sailors compete on the final day of the Canadian Laser Youth Championships in ILCA 4-4.7 (Laser) and ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) as part of the CORK International Regatta in Kingston on Aug. 12, 2021.
Elliot Ferguson/Kingston Whig-Standard

 

Return to full list of winners.

2021 ONAs: Sports Photography (under 25,000 circulation)