Best Images of the Year

Page Contents

Toggle

A Brief History of These Awards

In records going back to 1963, the Saint Paul Camera Club (SPCC) has continually adapted its Best Images of the Year awards to reflect changes in photography, technology, and member interests. As new photographic processes emerged and participation evolved, the club refined its competition structure to encourage growth, recognize achievement, and celebrate outstanding images.

When Slides Were Glorious

From 1963–1964 through 1996–1997, SPCC divided color slide competitions into two classes: Class A and Class AA. The club created Class A for newer or less experienced photographers and reserved Class AA for more advanced members. This two-tier system encouraged participation by allowing photographers to compete among peers with similar levels of experience.

Members could choose which class to enter, however, when a photographer won in Class A, SPCC required that member to move up to Class AA. The club also encouraged photographers to advance voluntarily as their skills developed.

In 1997–1998, SPCC eliminated the class system for slides and combined all entries into a single category. Slide competitions remained an important part of club life until September 2010, when SPCC retired them altogether.

Digital Takes Hold

As digital photography gained popularity, SPCC began accepting digital images in competition during the 2005–2006 season. Over time, digital photography replaced slides as the club’s primary projected-image medium.

To reflect growing participation and creative diversity, SPCC divided the digital category into two awards beginning in 2020–2021:

• Open Digital
• Topic Digital

These categories continue to the present day.

For Photographers, Prints Are King!

Print competitions experienced even more changes as photography evolved.

From 1963–1964 through 1971–1972, SPCC judged all prints in a single category. Beginning in 1972–1973, the club introduced Class B and Class A divisions to encourage participation among photographers of varying experience levels. Club leaders intentionally chose different terminology from the slide competitions to avoid confusion with the Class A and Class AA slide structure.

During the mid-1970s, advances in color print processing made home color darkrooms practical for many photographers. Some photographic papers could even be handled under a safelight. In response, SPCC divided both Class A and Class B into Monochrome and Color categories for the 1975–1976 and 1976–1977 seasons.

Despite the excitement surrounding color photography, relatively few members entered the color categories because the cost of color printing remained high. As a result, SPCC abandoned the monochrome/color split in 1977–1978, when most members still focused primarily on black-and-white photography.

That same year, the club reorganized print competitions into Class A and Class AA divisions. Then, in 1984–1985, SPCC once again separated both classes into Monochrome and Color categories, creating four annual print awards.

This arrangement remained in place until 1997–1998, when SPCC eliminated the class system entirely. From that point forward, the club presented annual awards simply for:

• Monochrome Prints
• Color Prints

The “Friendly Class”

In the early 1990s, SPCC experimented with a special category known as Class A+, often called the “Friendly Class.”

The club created this category to encourage broader participation. Members could submit commercially processed color prints up to 4 × 6 inches in size, making competition more accessible to photographers who were not producing traditional darkroom prints.

Change Is Constant

Throughout SPCC’s history, the competition rules have continued to evolve. The club has adjusted the number of images permitted each month, changed allowable print sizes, revised mounting and masking options, and introduced or retired categories as photography and member interests changed.

The history of these awards reflects the history of photography itself: a constant balance between tradition, innovation, and the enthusiasm of club members eager to share their best work.

Thank You, Gene Schwope!

Special thanks to Gene Schwope, a longtime SPCC member, for sharing his knowledge of the club’s competition classes and helping preserve the history and rationale behind these award categories.

Slides

1963-1964 to 1996-1997 (Class AA and Class A Slide)

	Class AA Slide (Experienced)	Class A Slide (Novice)
1963-1964	R.L. Schmidtke	Bruce Clifton
1964-1965	Esther Craine	Ray Wilkerson
1965-1966	Harry Lokken	Ernest Anderson
1966-1967	Elinor Walstrom	Lila Millar
1967-1968	Elinor Walstrom	Ernest Brauer
1968-1969	Harriet Hedrick	Gene Schwope
1969-1970	William Stewart	Ned Bend
1970-1971	Esther Larson	Jack Myers
1971-1972	Ernest Brauer	Bill Garness
1972-1973	Delores Zafke	Sylvia Goldman
1973-1974	Esther Larson	Byron Goldstein
1974-1975	William Stewart	Robert W. Nelson
1975-1976	Elinor Walstrom	Dorothy Knutson
1976-1977	Harry Lokken	Betty K. Olson
1977-1978	Morris Gildemeister	Carol Schwope
1978-1979	Elinor Walstrom	Betty K. Olson
1979-1980	William Stewart	Barry Evans
1980-1981	Morris Gildemeister	Paul Haubner
1981-1982	Robert Ganzel	Carol Davis
1982-1983	William Stewart	JoAnn Kuntemeier
1983-1984	Robert W. Nelson	Paul Dinndorf
1984-1985	Paul Dinndorf	Michael Kuller
1985-1986	Harold Hawkins	Mark Viker
1986-1987	Nancy Hansen – Snow Dressing	Robert E. Olson – Bird Of Paradise
1987-1988	Florence Nelson	Svend Bang
1988-1989	B.J. Schuweiler	Alice Prescott
1989-1990	Carol Davis – Daydreams	Len Ethier – Nature’s Cauldron
1990-1991	Ernest Brauer – Lizzy	Len Ethier – Corporate Merger
1991-1992	Morris Gildemeister – Big Fire In Gaylord	Bill McMackins – America’s Pride
1992-1993	Nancy Hansen – On Guard At Dawn	Sol Minsberg – Farm Storage Bldgs.
1993-1994	Robert E. Olson – Lava Domes	Kaye Nardizzi – Turn Of The Century
1994-1995	Gene Schwope – New Year’s Day At Grand Marias	Phyllis Kedl – Beat It Charlie!
1995-1996	Harold Hawkins – Frosty Eyes	Sol Minsberg – Sleepy Head
1996-1997	Rick Savage – Nonska Light	Dave Schulte Fair Skies

1997-1998 to 2009-2010 (Single Class Slide)

1997-1998	Paul W. Moore – Skateboarder
1998-1999	Florence Nelson – Fog And Trees
1999-2000	Phyllis Kedl – Just In Time
2000-2001	Radka Turcajova – Mexican Bartender
2001-2002	Radka Turcajova – Star Trails
2002-2003	Phyllis Kedl – Moon Shadow
2003-2004	Herb Gustafson – La Boca Window
2004-2005	Tom Farrell – Yellow Argiope
2005-2006	Steve Kobs – Irish Window
2006-2007	Pat Schwope – Abandoned Church
2007-2008	Dave Schulte – Peyto Lake
2008-2009	Jim Duncan – Fantasy Forest #1
2009-2010	Pat Schwope – Vineyard Grapes
2010-2011	Color Slides Discontinued

Digital Image

2005-2006 to 2019-2020 (Single Class Digital)

	Digital Image
2005-2006	Randy Libersky – Friends
2006-2007	Tom Farrell – Wisconsin Barn
2007-2008	Pattie LaVance – Faith
2008-2009	Gene Schwope – An Iowa Staircase
2009-2010	Gene Schwope – Downtown Music Men
2010-2011	Gene Schwope – Cannon Beach
2011-2012	Barry Mullin – Music Unraveled
2012-2013	Arlene Green – Fairyland
2013-2014	Jason Novotny – Stairs
2014-2015	Bill Irish – Playing Hard
2015-2016	Sharon Berg – An Angel’s View
2016-2017	Cindy Carlsson – Kamikaze Chaos
2017-2018	Larry Syverud – A7
2018-2019	Marv Vikla – Building My Home
2019-2020	Ken Epstein – Oak Leaf

2020-2021 to 2025-2026 (Open and Topic Digital)

	Open Digital	Topic Digital
2020-2021	Peggy Boike – Blueberries on Meat Fork	Jenny Noecker – Water Lily
2021-2022	Karen Leonard – Angels Take 3rd	Cindy Carlsson – Fishing is Good in Any Weather

Print

1963-1964 to 1971-1972 (One Class Print)

1963-1964	Richard Olsen
1964-1965	Richard Olsen
1965-1966	Richard Olsen
1966-1967	Robert Ganzel
1967-1968	Gene Schwope
1968-1969	Donald Natwick
1969-1970	Richard Patch
1970-1971	Gene Schwope
1971-1972	Art Dickey

1972-1973 to 1974-1975 (Class A & B Print)

	Class A (Experienced)	Class B (Novice)
1972-1973	Jack Myers	Raymond Burton
1973-1974	Richard Patch	Tom Johnson
1974-1975	Gene Schwope	Katy Sullivan

 1975-1976 to 1976-1977 (Class A and Class B, Monochrome & Color Print)

	Class A		Class B
	Monochrome	Color	Monochrome	Color
1975-1976	Gary Eckhardt	Art Dickey	Jeanne Cagle	Bryon Goldstein
1976-1977	Gene Schwope	Art Dickey	Jack Cagle	Jan Smith

 

1977-1978 to 1983-1984 (Class AA and Class A Print)

	Class AA		Class A
1977-1978	Gary Eckhardt		Lynn Geesaman
1978-1979	Art Dickey		Lynn Geesaman
1979-1980	Gary Eckhardt		Jan Smith
1980-1981	William Stewart		Dick Steiner
1981-1982	Art Dickey		Robert Beglund
1982-1983	Art Dickey		Betty K. Olson
1983-1984	Henry Hall		Walt Westberg

1984-1985 to 1996-1997 (Class AA and Class A, Monochrome & Color Print)

	Class AA		Class A
	Monochrome	Color	Monochrome	Color
1984-1985	Art Dickey	Jim Carr	J. Kuntemeier	Michael Kuller
1985-1986	Walt Westberg	Art Dickey	Nancy Conroy	Jim Barker
1986-1987	Hank Weir	Betty K. Olson	Gaynelle	Jim Sullivan
	Rubber Tree	Tulip Pattern	Buckland	Yosemite #3
1987-1988	Art Dickey	Jim Sullivan	Bill Mori	Marge Ethier
1988-1989	Hank Weir	Gary Eckhardt	Bill Mori	JoAnn Kuntemeier
1989-19901	Chuck LaVallee – My Friend Hank	Art Dickey – Building Houston	Dennis Mills – #328 On Time	JoAnn Kuntemeier – Grand Canyon Rainbow
1990-1991	Hank Weir	Dennis Mills	Marge Ethier	Marge Ethier – Where Custer Stood
1991-1992	Hank Weir – Windows & Wheels	Mel Sayhun – Ladys Of Sherbrook	Caroline Mills – Our Favorite Model	Laurie Roster – Kidd Appeal
1992-1993	Art Dickey – Marsha	Art Dickey – Ick	Marge Ethier – Misty Morn	Gene Schwope – Another World
1993-19942	Dennis Mills – Sum. In Florence	Art Dickey – Rose	Len Larson – Tastes So Good	Betty K. Olson – Fire And Smoke
1994-19953	Dennis Mills – Florence Leper	Len Ethier – Ramparts	Marge Ethier – Dome Art	Gary Eckhardt – Lake Superior Rocks
1995-1996	Hank Weir – Old Mill	M. Gildemeister – Corkscrew #2	Marge Ethier – Black Swallows	Jack Myers – Toothy
1996-1997	Richard Y. Kain – Am I Beautiful?	Steve Kobs 07	Paul W. Moore – Harvest Moon	Betty K. Olson – Bicycle

“The Friendly Class”, Class A+ Print

Saint Paul Camera Club sought to encourage more participation by adding “The Friendly Class”, or Class A+, which allowed color prints up to 4″ by 6″ that were processed in a commercial lab. We only have records of results for three non-consecutive years, shown below, and footnoted above.

¹ In Color Prints Class A+, 1989-1990, Dennis Mills – East Rosebud Lake.

² In Color Prints Class A+, 1993-1994, Richard Y. Kain – Monument Valley Tree. In the “Friendly” Class, Pat Gildemeister – Misty Harbor.

³ In Color Prints Class A+, 1995-1995, JoAnn Kuntemeier – Portrait Of Bee #2.

1997-1998 to 2019-2020 (Monochrome & Color Print)

	Monochrome Print	Color Print
1997-1998	Henry Hall – Old Piling	Betty K. Olson – Street Rod Up Close
1998-1999	Larry Swistoski – Heavens Call	Len Ethier – Race Ya’ To The Top
1999-2000	Dennis Mills – Up Or Down?	Dennis Mills – Old Church, New Mexico
2000-2001	Steve Kobs – Morning Light	Marge Ethier – Dreamscape
2001-2002	Marge Ethier – Pure And Simple	Radka Turcajova – Competition
2002-2003	Radka Turcajova – Yucca Vertical	Radka Turcajova – Magellanic Penguins
2003-2004	Steve Kobs – Alison	Greg Beatty – Vaults Of Autumn Gold
2004-2005	Pattie LaVance – Lauren With Scarf	Tom Farrell – A Capitol View
2005-2006	Randy Libersky – Lauren 2	Pattie LaVance – Memorial
2006-2007	Gregour Beatty – Walkin-the-Dog	Pattie LaVance – Prairie Breeze
2007-2008	Tom Johnson – Coastal Haze	Pattie LaVance – Tool Shop
2008-2009	Matt Ebbers – Radiating	Gregour Beatty – Mississippi Spring Rising
2009-2010	Tom Dunn – Can’t Sell Nuttin’	Tom Dunn – River Rowers
2010-2011	Tom Dunn – Lowertown 12:19	Gregor Beatty – Minnesota Mist
2011-2012	Joseph Schufman – Don’t Fence Me In	Gregor Beatty – Minnesota Channel
2012-2013	Phyllis Kedl – Dune Shadows	Joseph Schufman – Lonesome Pine, Capitol Reef NP
2013-2014	Manuel Vivas – Girl In The Window	Roberta Mullin – Coy Koi
2014-2015	Larry Syverud – Dr. Turkey Lurkey	Bob Muschewske – Disapproval
2015-2016	Joseph Schufman – MN State Capitol	Paul Rogne – Capitol Fourth
2016-2017	Steve Simmer – Aboard The Galeon de Andulucia	Steve Kayser – State Capitol Stairway
2017-2018	Bob Muschewske – Red Square	LuAnn Thatcher – Errant Voyageur
2018-2019	Bob Muschewske – Surrounded	Valarie Anderson – Fairyland Bryce Canyon
2019-2020	Marv Vikla – I Suggest You Google ‘Chopin In Havana’	Ken Epstein – Asian Horses

 

2020-2021 to 2025-2026 (B/W & Color Print)

	B/W Print	Color Print
2020-2021	No Prints – Covid 19 Pandemic	No Prints – Covid 19 Pandemic
2021-2022	No Prints – Covid 19 Pandemic	No Prints – Covid 19 Pandemic