Review-Journal photographer earns award in international competition

Review-Journal photographer Chase Stevens earned an Award of Excellence in the prestigious 2019 Pictures of the Year International competition.

Stevens’ photo captured young players putting on their hats after the national anthem during an opening day celebration for the third season of Bolden Little League at Doolittle Field in Las Vegas.

The league, sponsored by the Metropolitan Police Department and other organizations, was established in 2017 as a way to engage vulnerable youth and build a better relationship with the Historic Westside community near downtown Las Vegas.

“This is the age we want to reach them to show them police aren’t the bad guys. Police are your friends,” Metro homicide Capt. Robert Plummer, said in 2018 interview about the league.

Pictures of the Year is an awards program of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism.

Stevens said he was honored to receive the award, which came in the recreational sports category of the 77th annual competition.

“The coolest part of it is that it’s a picture that highlights the community in Las Vegas coming together for something that’s not a major sporting event on the Strip,” Stevens said.

“It’s somewhere that’s incredibly underserved and that’s all the more reason to highlight these stories and programs to show that people are working to make a difference in areas that need it.”