College Photographer of the Year Awarded to Maddie McCuddy

Maddie McCuddy claims first College Photographer of the Year title for University of Montana

Maddie McCuddy, a journalism alumna from the University of Montana, has secured the top prize in the 2026 College Photographer of the Year competition, a distinction often referred to as the “Pulitzers of college journalism.” According to a report from the UM News Service, McCuddy is the first alumna from the university to claim the first-place position in this global student photojournalism competition.

The win follows a highly successful period for the freelance photographer from La Center, Washington. Earlier this year, McCuddy also secured top honors at the Hearst Journalism Awards Program, winning the National Photojournalism Championship. McCuddy’s sweep of both the College Photographer of the Year and the National Photojournalism Championship places her in a league of her own.

“It felt like winning the Super Bowl,” McCuddy said regarding her gold medal win in the portfolio category. “Getting gold in the portfolio category was shocking. I didn’t expect it at all.”

Intimate storytelling through the lens of rural life

McCuddy’s winning portfolio was built on a foundation of long-form storytelling, much of which was developed during a summer residency with Boyd’s Station in rural Kentucky. This residency allowed her to move beyond surface-level imagery to capture the specific, often difficult, realities of life in Harrison County. Her work focuses on how broad societal and economic policies manifest in the individual lives of residents.

The selected photographs for the competition highlight a range of human experiences, from the quiet isolation of aging to the chaotic energy of childcare. The portfolio includes:

A portrait of Greg Nowak, 78, a former Montana chess grandmaster known as “the Octopus,” resting in his bed in Missoula on October 1, 2025.
An image of 8-year-old Branch Miller, who is autistic, during a moment of distress on a trampoline in Berry, Kentucky.
A depiction of 74-year-old Vernon Petidt in Oddville, Kentucky, spending time with a large collection of stray cats on his porch after losing his home to a fire two years prior.

Dr. Lisa Krantz, a former University of Montana journalism professor and freelance photographer who mentored McCuddy, noted that the photographer’s success stems from her ability to physically and emotionally engage with her subjects.

“In photography, you have to move closer to make those more intimate photos,” Krantz said. “Maddie started getting deeper into stories, literally and metaphorically. She has a very beautiful and unique way of seeing the world through photographs.”

This ability to bridge the gap between abstract policy and human impact is a central theme in McCuddy’s work. She described her process as a search for relatability, asking herself how to make the subject matter resonate with a wider audience.

A growing momentum in global photojournalism

The recognition from the College Photographer of the Year competition is not the end of McCuddy’s recent accolades. She was also recently awarded the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant, a global fund designed to provide financial support to emerging photojournalists, helping them complete significant long-form projects.

Reflecting on her development at the University of Montana, McCuddy credited the rigors of the journalism program for her current trajectory. McCuddy said the UM J-School pushed her constantly and that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the classes she took and the mentors she gained.

“The UM J-School pushed me constantly,” McCuddy said. “When I started, it felt like I was living under a rock. Now, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the classes I took and the mentors I gained.”

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