SPORTS ACTION - FIRST PLACE: (2011) Chicago Blackhawks' Jack Skille gets Calgary Flames' David Moss' stick in the face drawing a 4-minute penalty in 1st period of Hawks' 4-2 win during NHL hockey at United Center. (Photo By Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune)

SPOT NEWS - FIRST PLACE (2011) - A motorcycle policeman burns as his colleague, left, tries to help him after protesters threw a petrol bomb in Athens, Greece. (Dimitri Messinis/The Associated Press)

GENERAL NEWS - THIRD PLACE (2011): Kashmiri women comfort a sister of Sajjad Ahmed, a top militant commander of Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, during his funeral in Pinglish, some 56 Kilometers (35 miles) south of Srinagar, India. (Dar Yasin/The Associated Press)

FEATURE - THIRD PLACE (2011): Katlyn Wilkins works on securing an American flag in a tree as she deals with the destruction caused by a massive tornado that passed through her town. (Joseph Raedle/Getty Images)

SPORTS FEATURE - FIRST PLACE (2011): Russian Ultras (subculture of football fans) (Misha Domozhilov/Freelance)

PORTRAIT PERSONALITY - SECOND PLACE (2011): Newt Gingrich, GOP presidential hopeful and former speaker of the house, waits to appear on the Mike Huckabee show after speaking at a Tea Party Bus Tour stop at a Pizza Ranch restaurant in Indianola, Iowa, as a patron picks through fried chicken in the buffet on June 25, 2011. Gingrich said during the speech that

PICTORIAL - FIRST PLACE (2011): Street Scene, Oslo, Norway. (Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune)

NEWS PICTURE STORY - THIRD PLACE (2011): Jade, a working girl at the Stardust Ranch in Ely, Nevada, stands in the road outde of the brothel on a cool night. (Ty Wright/Ohio University)

PRODUCT ILLUSTRATION - FIRST PLACE (2011): Story on the perfect white shirt. (Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post)

ISSUE ILLUSTRATION - SECOND PLACE (2011): A study by Latitude group found that 83 percent of users feel “addicted” to their apps. The study also pinpointed what was called “three fundamental ways apps are changing our lives for the better.” (Nick Adams/The Register-Mail)