Haar wins Perry Photojournalism Challenge with ‘Echoes of a Matriarch’

· 4 min read

Haar wins Perry Photojournalism Challenge with ‘Echoes of a Matriarch’

by Haley Hamel | Journalism and Mass Communications
.From Hailey Haar's essay "Echoes of a Matriarch": Paul Haar is hit by a wave of grief while sitting in his mother’s lift chair at his Lincoln home on March 4. Her belongings spilled into his garage when he began the process of combining two households' worth of possessions into one. “Some days you’re not going to feel like you’re actually grieving anything,” Haar said. “Other days, it hits you like a tidal wave.”
Hailey Haar | junior broadcasting major
From Hailey Haar's essay "Echoes of a Matriarch": Paul Haar is hit by a wave of grief while sitting in his mother’s lift chair at his Lincoln home on March 4. Her belongings spilled into his garage when he began the process of combining two households' worth of possessions into one.

Hailey Haar, a junior broadcasting major from Lincoln, won the top prize in the 2022 Philip Perry Photojournalism Challenge for her essay “Echoes of a Matriarch.” Haar will receive a $7,000 scholarship to complete her studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her essay examined the impact of the death of a matriarch on a Nebraska family.

Second place was awarded to Aeriel Frey, a junior broadcasting major from Vermillion, South Dakota, for her essay “Life After Loss.” Frey will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Third place went to Lauren Penington, a sophomore journalism major from Parker, Colorado, for her essay “Life After Invasion.” Penington will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Naomi Delkamiller, a freshman advertising and public relations major from Lincoln, and Jordan Moore, a sophomore journalism major from Lincoln, received honorable mentions.

The annual competition is a test of determination and drive. This year, 18 students had 24 hours to shoot and compose a photo essay of up to 12 images around the theme “Life After.” The competition kicked off at 5 p.m. March 4. The student were free to interpret the theme as they saw fit, producing an essay at any location of their choosing. Submissions were due at 5 p.m. March 5.

The essays were judged by five photojournalism professionals in two rounds. In the initial round, participants were narrowed to five finalists who were invited to present their essays to the judges and the general public. Following the presentations, the judges conferred to select the winners.

This year’s judges were Robert Cohen, a staff photojournalist with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Calla Kessler, a freelance photographer in New York City; Allen Schaben, a staff photographer with the Los Angeles Times; Anna Reed, a photojournalist with the Omaha World-Herald; and Steve Smith, professor of visual communication at the University of Connecticut.

The Perry Photojournalism Challenge is supported by donations from Philip Perry, CEO of Perry Reid Properties.

2022 Philip Perry Photojournalism Challenge finalists

  • From "Echoes of a Matriarch" by Hailey Haar: Paul Haar is hit by a wave of grief while sitting in his mother’s lift chair at his Lincoln home on March 4. Her belongings spilled into his garage when he began the process of combining two households' worth of possessions into one. “Some days you’re not going to feel like you’re actually grieving anything,” Haar said. “Other days, it hits you like a tidal wave.”
    From Hailey Haar's essay "Echoes of a Matriarch": Paul Haar is hit by a wave of grief while sitting in his mother’s lift chair at his Lincoln home on March 4. Her belongings spilled into his garage when he began the process of combining two households' worth of possessions into one. “Some days you’re not going to feel like you’re actually grieving anything,” Haar said. “Other days, it hits you like a tidal wave.” Hailey Haar | junior broadcasting major
  • From "Life After Loss" by Aeriel Frey: On the surface, it is a quick trip to Target in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 5, but for Lisha Edelen, a mother of two young children who unexpectedly lost her husband just over three months ago, it is vital family time. The challenge is daunting, but the two young lives that depend upon her have helped her summon incredible levels of resilience in the wake of this devastating tragedy.
    From Aeriel Frey's essay "Life After Loss": On the surface, it is a quick trip to Target in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 5, but for Lisha Edelen, a mother of two young children who unexpectedly lost her husband just over three months ago, it is vital family time. The challenge is daunting, but the two young lives that depend upon her have helped her summon incredible levels of resilience in the wake of this devastating tragedy. Aeriel Frey | junior broadcasting major
  • From "Life After Invasion" by Lauren Penington: Lincoln community members gather in front of the Nebraska State Capitol to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine and pray for Ukraine. “We want to deliver the message that freedom cannot be subdued by military weapons,” Oleg Stepanyuk of the House of Prayer said. “At the end of the day, we will prevail and celebrate, but now is the time that Ukraine needs a lot of help from international communities, from people who are not indifferent to what’s going on.”
    From Lauren Penington's essay "Life After Invasion": Lincoln community members gather in front of the Nebraska State Capitol to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine and pray for Ukraine. “We want to deliver the message that freedom cannot be subdued by military weapons,” Oleg Stepanyuk of the House of Prayer said. “At the end of the day, we will prevail and celebrate, but now is the time that Ukraine needs a lot of help from international communities." Lauren Penington | sophomore journalism major
  • From "Life After Layoff" by Naomi Delkamiller: Jeffery Koterba sits in his studio at the Pottawattomie Arts Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Koterba uses the space to paint, sketch and package prints. "This new life is a tweaking of who I am or who I was," he said. "I put all of myself into working at the newspaper and made over 12,000 cartoons. When they kicked me out the door, I had no chance to say thank you or goodbye to readers."
    From Naomi Delkamiller's essay "Life After Layoff": Jeffery Koterba sits in his studio at the Pottawattomie Arts Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Koterba uses the space to paint, sketch and package prints. "This new life is a tweaking of who I am or who I was," he said. "I put all of myself into working at the newspaper and made over 12,000 cartoons. When they kicked me out the door, I had no chance to say thank you or goodbye to readers." Naomi Delkamiller | freshman advertising and public relations major
  • From "A New Chapter" by Jordan Moore: A Novel Idea Bookstore in downtown Lincoln booms with business as customers venture inside. On March 4, the bookstore was celebrating First Friday and the Read in Color program, which supports stocking diverse children's books in Little Free Libraries in town.
    From Jordan Moore's essay "A New Chapter": A Novel Idea Bookstore in downtown Lincoln booms with business as customers venture inside. On March 4, the bookstore was celebrating First Friday and the Read in Color program, which supports stocking diverse children's books in Little Free Libraries in town. Jordan Moore | sophomore journalism major

High Resolution Photos

Hailey Haar Aeriel Frey Lauren Penington Naomi Delkamiller Jordan Moore

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