Pictures of the Year Winners Announced

When the winners of the 69th Pictures of the Year International were announced recently, some people may have been surprised by the great differences between the two men who won Photographer of the Year in the newspaper and freelance/agency category. Craig Walker of The Denver Post won the former for his daily assignments as well for a photo essay about a veteran suffering from PTSD. Yuri Kozyrev, on the other hand, traveled extensively in 2011, moving from Moscow and Slovenia to Yemen, Bahrain, Egypt and Libya, covering the Arab Spring for TIME. You can see his winning photograph, "Shark," above. "I try to be on the road," he told The New York Times. "I try to follow the news."

Most of Walker's images were taken right in Denver, four within walking distance of The Denver Post. "Because of the amazing work done internationally this year by magazine and newspaper photographers, I feel humbled by the award," he said. "But it does say something about what you can do in your own backyard."

His PTSD photo essay, "Welcome Home: The Story of Scott Ostrom," was key to his win. In 2010 Walker was awarded with a Pulitzer Prize for "Ian Fisher: American Soldier," which follows a teenager as he joins the Army, deploys to Iraq and returns home.

You can read more about the winners on The New York Times excellent photo blog, The Lens, or check out some of 3rd Ward's photography classes to start working on your own Photographer of the Year award.

-- Perrin Drumm