UPI's Kevin Dietsch wins first place for Astros photo

Feb. 14 (UPI) -- UPI photographer Kevin Dietsch won a first-place prize in the University of Missouri's Pictures of the Year International contest this week, for his photograph of Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve.

Judges in the competition awarded Dietsch gold in the "Sports Feature" category Monday.

The photo, taken Oct. 14, features Altuve celebrating his winning run against the New York Yankees to take a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series. The Astros beat the Yankees for the AL pennant, and went on to capture their first World Series title over the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.

Dietsch, who has covered UPI's Washington, D.C., bureau since 2005, also won multiple honors from the White House News Photographers Association last month. He won first place and received an award of excellence in the association's "Insider Washington" category, and an award of excellence in the "Presidential" category.

Dietsch earmed a bachelor of fine arts degree in photojournalism from Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., where he lives with his wife and two children.

The University of Missouri's School of Journalism began the POYi contest in 1944 with the stated mission "to pay tribute to those press photographers and newspapers which, despite tremendous war-time difficulties, are doing a splendid job; to provide an opportunity for photographers of the nation to meet in open competition; and to compile and preserve ... a collection of the best in current, home-front press pictures."

The Missouri School of Journalism administers the contest along with Fujifilm, MSNBC and National Geographic.