Mike Humphries-"Brush With History," the 1st place entry, made excellent use of music, shot selection and effects to tell the story of a Marine's coping with Alzheimer's disease by creating paintings of his time in service during WWII and Korea. The pacing of this beautifully crafted story was perfectly executed.
 
"The 5 Browns" told the story of five piano-playing siblings. The editor made effective use of their music to expertly pace the story. Good shot variety also helped propel the well-done story.
 
The editor of "Sister Molly" used great natural sound and shot selection to seamlessly tell the story of a nun who tends to local migrant workers.  The editing was "invisible" and did not draw attention to itself. An excellent effort.
 
"Garage to Grammy" was a seamless story about a Christian band making the big time. The editor used the band's music and good shot variety to perfectly pace the piece. A solid piece of work.
  
Overall, this category had many solid, well-done stories. Good shot variety and natural sound was common. What hurt many of the entries, though, was an over-reliance on flashy quick cuts and sound effects as transitional tools. Some stories used the right mix, but others went a little overboard with them. Many good elements were lost among the fast edits.

Stephanie Ottjepka-"Brush with History" had a nice use of music and style to convey a mood. I liked the time warps to the music off the top. I really liked the way the editor introduced Alzheimer’s, with the three edits pulling out of the
hallway, fading to black and then the sequence where he is forgetting. I thought this was well done. The style stayed consistent and wasn't overpowering.

"The 5 Browns" had a fun, nonconventional way to start the story. It peaked my interest, and the shift of styles into the performance hall worked. It's really hard to edit to music and make it work. I enjoyed the sequencing of the peak action with the wide shots all while matching the music. I also liked the music carried under the bites.

My favorite part of "Sister Molly" was the sequence of the workers laughing and trying on clothes, it was such a nice moment. This story was told well with solid sequencing, leading audio, and no reliance on effects.

"Garage to Grammy" had nice use of effects on still photos, good shot selection, and clean editing that did not distract from the story.