Jay Korff-Judging this category stirred strong emotions in all of us. It was very hard to pick a winner. The top three stories were all outstanding. They each moved us in different ways. And for all the drama that comes with spot news, these stories were about seemingly innocuous topics: a dog stuck in a drain, a tree on a car and a hole in a roof. Each of these photojournalists transformed a simple scenario into a riveting news story. “Cody's Rescue” was nearly flawless in visual execution and left us smiling. “ABC's of Disaster” was poignant and touching. “Smashed” took us willingly into a world of uncertainty.

Joel Eagle-Another lively discussion to pick the winner in this category. I got over ruled. “Cody's Rescue,” the winner, was excellent, however, for me it did not have the same emotional impact as “Smashed.” None of these stories were about catastrophic events that impacted masses of people. Our final picks ended up being more personal, small-scale stories. They all had merit but some stirred the juices harder.

Regina McCombs-We debated -- endlessly -- our top pick for spot news, partly because it pained us to give top honors to the story of a dog being rescued. But when it came down to what we believed was genuinely the best work in a spot news situation, we kept coming back to "Cody." It had it all -- strong photography, great natural sound, wonderful story. "ABCs of Disaster" felt almost gentle for a post-tornado story, and the photographer had the good sense to work with flashlight. The story gave an unobtrusive sense of being on the scene immediately after a disaster. If it hadn't been for the dissolves, it would have been much stronger.

Mike Humphries-Comments to come.

Stephanie Ottjepka-Comments to come.

Erica Simpson-Comments to come.

Mark Morache-Sticks and SOTs. Shouldn't the spot news category winner be more than sticks and SOTs? I know all about that yellow crime tape, but we just couldn't give an award to a story that was shot from a distance with a tripod peppered with bites from observers. “Cody's Rescue” might not lead anyone's newscast, but no one would dare change the channel until they saw if the dog in the sewer was saved. The photographer caught the entire rescue, gathered all the necessary sound to tell this without a reporter, and did it all with style. It was all there. “The ABC's of Disaster” lacked any adrenaline rush, but was so tender and heartfelt, it moved us.

Merry Murray-Comments to come.

Ram Guzman-Comments to come.