| Year | Photographer | Newspaper | |
|---|
| 2008 | Preston Gannaway | Concord Monitor | |
| 2007 | Renée C. Byer | The Sacramento Bee | |
| 2006 | Todd Heisler | Rocky Mountain News | |
| 2005 | Deanne Fitzmaurice | San Francisco Chronicle | |
| 2004 | Carolyn Cole | Los Angeles Times | |
| 2003 | Don Bartletti | Los Angeles Times | |
| 2002 | The New York Times staff | The New York Times | |
| 2001 | Matt Rainey | Star-Ledger (New Jersey) | |
| 2000 | Carol Guzy, Michael Williamson and Lucian Perkins | Washington Post | |
| 1999 | Staff of Associated Press | Associated Press | |
| 1998 | Clarence Williams | Los Angeles Times | |
| 1997 | Alexander Zemlianichenko | Associated Press | |
| 1996 | Stephanie Welsh | Free-lance Photographer | |
| 1995 | Staff of Associated Press | Associated Press | |
| 1994 | Kevin Carter | Free-lance Photographer | |
| 1993 | Staff of Associated Press | Associated Press | |
| 1992 | John Kaplan | Block Newspapers (Toledo) | |
| 1991 | William Snyder | The Dallas Morning News | |
| 1990 | David C. Turnley | Detroit Free Press | |
| 1989 | Manny Crisostomo | Detroit Free Press | |
| 1988 | Michel duCille | Miami Herald | |
| 1987 | David C. Peterson | Des Moines Register | |
| 1986 | Tom Gralish | The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| 1985 | Stan Grossfeld | Boston Globe | |
| 1984 | Anthony Suau | The Denver Post | |
| 1983 | James B. Dickman | Dallas Times Herald | |
| 1982 | John H. White | Chicago Sun-Times | |
| 1981 | Taro M. Yamasaki | Detroit Free Press | |
| 1980 | Erwin H. Hagler | Dallas Times Herald | |
| 1979 | Staff photographers of the Boston Herald American | Boston Herald American | |
| 1978 | J. Ross Baughman | Associated Press | |
| 1977 | Robin Hood | Chattanooga News-Free Press | |
| 1976 | Photographic staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal and Times | Louisville Courier-Journal and Times | |
| 1975 | Matthew Lewis | Washington Post | |
| 1974 | Slava Veder | Associated Press | |
| 1973 | Brian Lanker | Topeka Capital-Journal | |
| 1972 | David Hume Kennerly | United Press International | |
| 1971 | Jack Dykinga | Chicago Sun-Times | |
| 1970 | Dallas Kinney | Palm Beach Post (Florida) | |
| 1969 | Moneta Sleet Jr. | Ebony magazine | |
| 1968 | Toshio Sakai | United Press International | |