from the U.S. Harness Writers Association

Freehold, NJ — Clive Cohen and Frances Lund were named winners of the 2015 George Smallsreed Awards for excellence in harness racing photography while the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley was named the recipient of the 2015 John Hervey Award for excellence in broadcasting, the U.S. Harness Writers Association announced Friday.

Winners in the John Hervey Awards categories for excellence in writing will be announced Monday.

Clive Cohen photo

Clive Cohen’s photograph, “Racing Into the Fog,” won the Smallsreed Award in the racing/action category.

Cohen’s photograph, “Racing Into the Fog,” won the Smallsreed Award in the racing/action category. The photograph was taken on April 9, 2015 at Mohawk Racetrack and appeared on the WEG Photo’s Facebook page.

Lund’s photograph, “Downpour,” won the Smallsreed Award in the feature category. The photograph was taken Aug. 22, 2015 during the post parade for the Gold Cup and Saucer at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park on Prince Edward Island. The race was postponed for a day because of the heavy rain. Lund’s photograph appeared in Atlantic Post Calls on Sept. 11, 2015.

Receiving honorable mention in the racing/action category were Mark Hall and Nadina Ironia. Hall’s photograph of action at the Hancock County Fair in Ohio appeared on the August 2015 cover of Hoof Beats magazine. Ironia’s photograph of harness racing on the turf in Musselburgh, Scotland, appeared in the December 2015 issue of Hoof Beats.

Frances Lund photo

Frances Lund’s photograph, “Downpour,” won the Smallsreed Award in the feature category.

Honorable mention in the feature category was awarded to Michael Lisa and Ann MacNeill. Lisa’s photograph, a close-up of a harnessed horse in the rain at the Meadowlands, appeared on Harnesslink.com on Jan. 6, 2015. MacNeill’s photograph of a horse jogging on a beach on Prince Edward Island appeared in the Oct. 23, 2015 issue of Harness Racing Weekend Preview.

Judges for the photography categories were racetrack and newspaper photographer Bill Denver, multiple Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston, and former harness racing groom and longtime newspaper/magazine photographer Phil McAuliffe.

The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley won the Hervey Award for broadcasting with its “On the Road with Steve Hartman” segment “Underdog Horse,” which aired Oct. 23, 2015. The story featured 11-year-old Breana Carsey and her 2-year-old Ohio Sire Stakes champion MJB Got Faith and was highlighted by footage shot at Scioto Downs by the USTA’s Rich Johnston and provided to CBS.

Working on the segment were Steve Capus, executive producer; Steve Hartman, correspondent; Kim Godwin, senior broadcast producer; Megan Kelty, producer; and Bob Caccamise, camera.

Receiving honorable mention in the broadcasting division was the CBS Sports Network’s Hambletonian Day feature on filly trotter Mission Brief and trainer Ron Burke. The segment aired on Aug. 8, 2015 during CBS Sports Network’s coverage of the Hambletonian. Mike Trager was executive producer and Eric M. Talent was producer.

The broadcasting category was judged by Amy J. Zimmerman, the director of broadcasting at Santa Anita Park and a multiple Eclipse and Emmy winning producer.

To watch the CBS Evening News feature, click here.

Award winners will be recognized during the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Dan Patch Awards banquet at Hyatt Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 6. Information on tickets and accommodations for the event can be found at www.ushwa.org.