Best photojournalist
Matthew Thorsen, Seven Days
Matthew Thorsen, Seven Days — Technically, Matthew Thorsen became Seven Days’ first-ever staff photographer in fall 2014. But the soft-spoken, fun-loving photog has been gracing our pages with his distinctly artistic viewpoint for all 20 years of the altweekly’s existence. Every week brings a new and unusual assignment (or three), be it photographing a group of Vermont furries or the food at a hot new restaurant. Thorsen has long been a fixture at local festivals — you’ve seen him as the seven-foot-tall, gold-headed skeleton with the camera strolling alongside the floats at Burlington’s Mardi Gras parade. His work has appeared in local art galleries, as well as in his book of black-and-white portraits of ’90s-era Burlington bands. Thorsen even served as Bernie Sanders’ official 2006 campaign photographer. If he ever comes calling to take your picture, you better answer the phone.
Other Finalists
- Adam Silverman, Burlington Free Press
- Glenn Russell, Burlington Free Press
- Jeb Wallace-Brodeur, Seven Days, Times Argus
- Ryan Mercer, Burlington Free Press
