First Place!

AIC Class of 2021 graduate Kelly Shea receives top honors for sports photography from Boston Press Photographers Association

Kelly Shea received first place in the sports category of the 2020 College Pictures of the Year photography contest sponsored by the Boston Press Photographers Association (BPPA). The winning photo featured an overhead shot of a Hartford Wolf Pack game against the Providence Bruins. Entries were accepted from New England area schools as well as from New England students attending out of area schools. Categories included news, features, portraits, video/multimedia, story, and sports. Contest judges represented The Boston Globe, Providence Journal, and Strewn Wonder, LLC. Kelly’s top spot photo featured an overhead shot from the rafters at a Hartford Wolf Pack game against the Providence Bruins. Of the winning photo she said, “I selected five photos and wasn’t going to submit that one, deciding last minute to add it. And it won!”

This is not the first time Kelly was recognized by the BPPA. Last year, she received an honorable mention for her submission of an image taken while an intern with the Springfield Thunderbirds. That recognition included the opportunity to take over the BPPA’s Instagram account for three days.

While Kelly is passionate about photography, she’s equally committed to hockey, having played competitively as a youth, and continuing to play whenever she has the opportunity. She hopes to combine the two and land “her dream job” working as the photographer for a professional sports team. Check out the full story online at Reminder Publications – Chicopee Herald.