Top photos of 2024 NFL season revealed in Pro Football Hall of Fame’s annual contest
General
Published on : 5/8/2025
Action image titled ‘Air Puka’ wins photograph of the year
Anticipation and natural light “sent from heaven above” combined to create the right conditions to capture the shot chosen as the best image submitted for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s annual photo contest associated with the 2024 National Football League season.Bryce Todd, a photographer for the Los Angeles Rams working the team’s game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 17, 2024, submitted “Air Puka” in the Hall’s 57th annual photo contest, and the panel of judges declared it the winner of the 2024 Dave Boss Award of Excellence as the photograph of the year.
“Air Puka” shows Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua fully airborne and extended to make a touchdown catch near the front corner of the end zone. Sunlight in the stadium, some of it reflecting off stadium windows, created a near-halo effect around Nacua and long shadows.
“It’s all about the light,” the judges said in summarizing their choice for the Dave Boss Award. “Also, the background is clean for an NFL stadium, and every other player is in the dark. The photographer clearly planned for this play, but everything had to go right – and it did.”
Todd acknowledged that his experience with the team provided an assist.
“It’s a shot I’ve prepared for,” he said. “By shooting practices and in the offseason, you become knowledgeable of where a play might go. I had a feeling the ball would come to that side. Luckily, Matthew (Stafford) and Puka did what they do.”
As Todd positioned himself along the right sideline deep in the end zone prior to the snap, he noticed the specialness of the midafternoon sun.
“The lighting was sent from heaven above. The way the sun was reflecting off the windows at Gillette, I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” he said. “The shooting was my skill, but the lighting was a gift.”
A New York native and graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York, Todd completed his second season with the Rams. He earned a business degree at RPI, with photography mainly serving as a hobby until he got more serious about the craft and landed an internship with the New York Yankees. He said he knew when entering the contest that “Air Puka” offered his best chance at placing.
“That was my money shot,” he said. “If I retire now, this was my drop-the-mic shot – the best I’ve ever gotten and maybe ever will get, although I’m going to keep at it.”
The Dave Boss Award of Excellence is named for the former vice president of publishing and creative services for the National Football League. The Hall of Fame’s prestigious contest is open to professional photographers on assignment to cover NFL games. Photos taken during the 2024 NFL season, from the preseason through Super Bowl LIX, were eligible.
Todd’s entry was the first-place winner in the Action category.
Matthew Swensen, a photographer with the New York Giants, took first place in the Feature category with “Rookies Take on ‘Monday Night Football.’ ” His photo captured Giants tight end Theo Johnson, cornerback Dru Phillips and wide receiver Malik Nabers taking a moment in deep thought prior to their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Oct. 28, 2024.
Two photographers won multiple awards. Michael Owens of the NFL took second place and an honorable mention in the Action category. Kevin Sabitus of NFL Focus received an honorable mention for three Action images.
Todd, Swensen and the second- and third-place finishers in each category will receive cash prizes from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Todd has been invited to attend the 2025 Awards of Excellence program June 25-26 in Canton to receive additional acclamation.
All 20 of the photos that received honorable mention or higher will be displayed on a video kiosk at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Todd’s image and others also will be printed and mounted for display.
Six prominent photo editors/photographers reviewed nearly 1,200 images submitted for consideration and reached their decisions after a series of cutdown votes. The panel included: Brynn Anderson, photographer, Associated Press; Ryan Kang, manager of photography at the NFL; Ben Liebenberg, director of photography/lead photographer for the NFL; Terrell Lloyd, director of photography and lead team photographer for the San Francisco 49ers; Brad Smith, vice president of photography at WWE; and Kevin Terrell, photographer-image creator/photo editor for Kevin Terrell Photography.
57TH ANNUAL PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME PHOTO CONTEST (2024 SEASON)
2024 Dave Boss Award of Excellence (Photo of the Year)
Action Winner – Bryce Todd, Los Angeles Rams
Action category
First Place – Bryce Todd, Los Angeles Rams, “Air Puka,” Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots, Nov. 17, 2024. (Image show above.)Second Place – Michael Owens, NFL, “Richardson Leap,” Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos, Dec. 15, 2024.
Third Place – Brooke Sutton, Brooke Sutton Photography LLC, “Pylon Pickens,” Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos, Sept. 15, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Eric Hartline, Imagn Images, “Dashing Through the Snow,” Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles, Jan. 19, 2025.
Honorable Mention – Matt Lutke, Associated Press, “Diving for Glory,” Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, Nov. 3, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Michael Owens, NFL, “Run Henry Run,” Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 21, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Kevin Sabitus, NFL Focus, “Finger Tips,” Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oct. 27, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Kevin Sabitus, NFL Focus, “Love to Dive,” Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, Nov. 17, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Kevin Sabitus, NFL Focus, “Over the Top,” Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, Nov. 7, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Zach Tarrant, Houston Texans, “Wild Card Spotlight,” Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans, Jan. 11, 2025.
Feature category
First Place – Matthew Swensen, New York Giants, “Rookies Take On ‘Monday Night Football,’ ” New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers, Oct. 28, 2024.
Second Place – Shawn Hubbard, Freelance/Baltimore Ravens, “Do You See a Star?” Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys, Sept. 22, 2024.
Third Place – David Phillip, Associated Press, “Victory,” Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Feb. 9, 2025.
Honorable Mention – Kyle Bursaw, Green Bay Packers, “One in Eighty-Thousand,” Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers, Oct. 20, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Carl Jones II, Freelance/Detroit Lions, “When the Smoke Clears,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions, Sept. 15, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Adrian Kraus, Freelance/Associated Press, “Sideline Tears,” New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, Dec. 29, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Shanna Lockwood, Atlanta Falcons, “Tilt-Shift Throwback,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, Oct. 3, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Ben Ludeman, Buffalo Bills, “Josh,” Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills, Sept. 8, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Joey Pulone, Freelance/Baltimore Ravens, “Like a Whip,” Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens, Nov. 3, 2024.
Honorable Mention – Tori Richman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, “Pregame Reflections,” San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nov. 10, 2024.
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