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