Voters Pick 16th IBEW Photo Contest Winners
January 27, 2014
Contrasting the chilly stillness of winter with the energy of a lineman in action, Casper, Wyo., Local 322 member Levi Gossard’s photo won top honors in the 16th IBEW Photo Contest.
Gossard, a lineman at Powder River Energy since 2002, snapped the winning photo last September after pulling all-night storm repair duty in the Bighorn Mountains in the northern part of the state.
“I had looked at past years’ winners before entering, and they were all such good shots,” he said. “I thought, ‘No way mine will win.’” Fortunately for Gossard, a fellow member urged him to submit his entry, which was the runaway favorite of voters.
More than 6,500 votes were cast for the competition, which drew about 500 submissions. After a team of judges narrowed the field to 15 finalists, members selected their top three favorites via online voting between Jan. 2-16.
See the winning shots below, and look for more coverage in the March issue of The Electrical Worker.
First Place Winner ($200)
Levi Gossard, Casper, Wyo., Local 322
The image of a lineman atop a pole in tough conditions is an iconic representation of the Brotherhood. Gossard’s shot from deep within the frozen Wyoming alpine tundra offers a cold take on a classic.
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Second Place Winner ($150)
Chris Zischka, Miami Local 349
Water and electricity certainly don’t mix. But in the case of Zischka’s novel shot of Florida linemen working on a pole from a small motorboat, voters made an exception.
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Third Place Winner ($100)
Tom Lawless, Long Island, N.Y., Local 25
From great tragedy comes great hope – exemplified by Lawless’ image of two radiant beams of light shining skyward in New York City to commemorate 9/11.
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Honorable Mentions ($50 each)
Dietrick Friesen, Windsor, Ont., Local 773
In Friesen’s dizzying shot, a member pauses to take in the view atop the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Those fearful of heights need not apply.
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Paul Windsor, Ventura, Calif., Local 952
As harnessed electricity courses through power lines, the ominous clouds above threaten to unleash some energy of their own in Windsor’s dramatic photo.
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