Alex Gould took home first place in the 2022 Greg Crowder Memorial Photojournalism Award contest for his range of photos that included events like Country Thunder, as well rallies featuring My Pillow CEO Michael Lindell and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
Each year, a number of ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication students submit their work for this award for best photojournalist. This year, students Samantha Chow placed second and Marlee Smith was named as an honorable mention for their submissions.
Gould, a Cronkite senior and current photo intern at The Arizona Republic, has submitted for the Crowder Award for the past two years. He originally saw the award for the first time while waiting for an interview with the State Press.
“I looked over and saw the Crowder Award, and kind of like from that day forward, I was like okay, one of my goals, before I leave Cronkite, is to win that award.”
Gould will also take home a $1,000 cash prize for his first place win and will have his photos showcased on the third floor of the Cronkite building overlooking the forum for a year.
“Alexander’s portfolio is marked with an astute observation that discreetly captures a range of everyday moments, from the painful realities at the gas pump to the orchestration of a NASCAR pit crew to a couple’s playful moment at a music festival,” said Judge Mark Morris, independent visual consultant and former director of photography at The Sacramento Bee.
Kimberly Mitchell, staff photographer at the Detroit Free Press, who also served as a judge, praised Gould for the creativity in his work.
“Gould’s portfolio had some surprising moments that he was able to capture, decisive moments. I saw visual exploration of composition and creativity through lens choice and angles. Creativity is good, and content is key,” Mitchell said.
Gould said he is incredibly honored and grateful to have won the award while acknowledging the work of other Cronkite photojournalists.
“I genuinely believe that Cronkite has some of the best photographers out there, so it’s really an honor to have been chosen for this award, because I know the work that other people are producing and I think all of them deserve it just as much,” he said.
The Cronkite School selects one student photographer annually to receive the award named after the late Greg Crowder. Crowder graduated from Arizona State in 1980 and was a longtime photojournalist at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California. After his untimely passing in 2005, Crowder’s parents decided to honor his legacy by establishing the award at the Cronkite School.
