2015 INPA Annual Contest Judges

Matt McClain, The Washington Post

Matt McClain is a staff photographer with The Washington Post. He previously worked at the Rocky Mountain News and the Ventura County Star.

During his time as a photographer, McClain has covered a wide-range of assignments, including President Ronald Reagan’s funeral, the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the 2008 Democratic National Convention, two presidential inaugurations, and most recently the earthquake in Nepal.

His work has received recognition from Pictures of the Year International, World Press Photo, Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Awards, Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, and NPPA Best of Photojournalism. Born and raised in rural Indiana, McClain is a graduate of Indiana University.

Carrie Cochran, The Cincinnati Enquirer

Carrie Cochran is a visual journalist on staff at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Since 2013, Cochran has received five Emmys from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for her video work. Cochran has been honored for her still photography as SPJ Ohio Photographer of the Year in 2004 and Kentucky News Photographer Association Photographer of the Year Runner-Up in 2010.

Cochran is the first active newspaper journalist to serve on the Board of Governors of NATAS Ohio Valley. She is also on the Cincinnati Reel Abilities Film Festival local programming board. Several of her short documentaries were screened throughout the fest in 2015, and the closing night showcased five of her short films.

Jonathan Palmer, Kentucky-based freelancer

Jonathan Palmer is a freelance photojournalist based in Lexington, Kentucky.

In 2014, 2011 and 2010, Palmer was named Sports Photographer of the Year by the Kentucky News Photographer Association. In 2014 and 2009, he was named KNPA Photographer of the Year Runner-Up and was awarded the Story of the Year award from the Alabama Press Association for a story he and a colleague worked on in the aftermath of a tornado. Palmer freelances for The Courier-Journal (Louisville), The Lexington Herald-Leader, and The New York Times along with several thoroughbred horse industry clients.

Jonathan was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2005 with a B.A. in Studio Art , with a concentration in photography.