John Lehmann was awarded 1st place in the General News category by the News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC), for this photo of Gordon Sebastian, a security guard at St. Eugene Resort and casino in Cranbrook, looking for his mother's grave at the cemetery attached to the former residential school now a casino February 20, 2013.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail photographer John Lehmann has been named Photojournalist of the Year by the News Photographers Association of Canada.
This is the second year in a row that Mr. Lehmann, a Globe photographer since 2002, has been given the organization's top award. He received a total of five awards at this year's gala ceremony in Vancouver, including awards in the general news, sports action, and feature categories.
The portfolio that won Mr. Lehmann the Photojournalist of the Year award included images of Mexican migrant workers in Richmond, B.C.; a portrait of Cathy Todd, the mother of B.C. teen Amanda Todd who committed suicide as a result of bullying; and snapshots from the June, 2013 floods in Alberta.
"Photography is at the heart of fine journalism," The Globe's editor in chief, David Walmsley, said. "To win these awards in areas that represent key pillars of our coverage, in news, sports and the coverage of social issues, is gratifying."
A total of 10 awards were handed out Saturday night for images that appeared in The Globe.
Former Globe photographers Peter Power and Kevin Van Paassen each won first place in the Sports Feature and Social Issues for photos they shot for the newspaper. The Globe's photo editor, Moe Doiron, won second place for General News, and freelance photographer Michelle Siu won two awards – first place for Picture Story and second in Social Issues – for images that appeared in The Globe.