First Prize

The annual Maryland Vocal Competition has become one of the best tickets in town over the past several seasons.Last Saturday at St. John's College, eight singers -- three sopranos, three mezzos, one tenor and one bass all under the age of 32 and studying in Maryland -- put on a show for judges Ava Shields, Richard Higgins, Loraine Bernstein, Ronald Gretz, Braxton Peters and the dozen other hearty souls who braved the snow and cold out of their love for...

The final event of the 2012 season for the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association (MSSA) attracted more than 800 anglers on 220 boats in pursuit of almost $80,000 in prize money. Fishing out of Solomons, Lee Tippett, captain of the Fin Finder II, along with Andrew Turner and his crew reeled in a 41.35 pound rockfish to win the first prize of $45,000 in the MSSA Fall Classic Rockfish Tournament, the country's largest rockfish tournament. The event was held Nov. 17 and 18 on the Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to Point Lookout.

The final event of the 2012 season for the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association (MSSA) attracted more than 800 anglers on 220 boats in pursuit of almost $80,000 in prize money. Fishing out of Solomons, Lee Tippett, captain of the Fin Finder II, along with Andrew Turner and his crew reeled in a 41.35 pound rockfish to win the first prize of $45,000 in the MSSA Fall Classic Rockfish Tournament, the country's largest rockfish tournament. The event was held Nov. 17 and 18 on the Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to Point Lookout.

A reception to announce the winners of the annual Eldersburg Photo Contest, sponsored by the Carroll Eagle and Eldersburg.Net, will be held Friday, Feb. 10, 5 to 6 p.m., at the Eldersburg Library, 6400 Hemlock Drive, Eldersburg. The event will include a slide show of the entries and the announcement of the winners. The public is invited. Entries had been posted on Eldersburg.Net for viewing and voting, and winners were determined through a blended rating of the online votes and a judging panel.

COLLEGE PARK -- The finals of the nation's premier contest for cellists concluded Saturday night in Tawes Theatre without a winner. Israel's Gabriel Lipkind, 20, and Russia's Dmitri Tsirin, 29, were each awarded second prizes of $10,000; Germany's Wolfgang Schmidt won a third prize of $5,000.In the competition's final round, each of the cellists had performed a concerto with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Lockington. And the seven-member international jury concluded that none were sufficiently polished to carry the imprimatur of first prize.

MANOR WOODS Elementary School has selected its winners in the PTA-sponsored "Reflections" arts competition.This year, the theme was "It Could Happen "Competition took place on two levels: first- through third-graders in the primary level and fourth- and fifth-graders in the intermediate.In the primary level, Laura Burrows won first prize for visual arts.Five prizes were given in the primary literature category.Rahul Rajagopolan won first prize, Alicia Noriega second, Mary Katre Morani third, Nick Meyer fourth and Andy Meyer received honorable mention.

Warsaw--Kevin Kenner's bittersweet victory eight days ago at the 12th international Frederic Chopin Piano Competition here posed a fundamental question.Can a nice guy make it to the very top in the highly competitive concert world? Or is the summit the exclusive domain of ruthless, single-minded egos, as well as flawless technique and musicality?That Mr. Kenner -- a Peabody graduate who returns to Baltimore to perform at his alma mater Tuesday night -- is a nice guy, no one here doubts."He is so nice, so normal," said a concert hall worker charmed by the tall American's unassuming manner.

Mark Wilson won the $990,000 first prize in a four-man playoff at the Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, but only after a guy named Boo Weekley missed a 3-foot putt Sunday that would have given him the victory and basically made his life. I realize I should be the last person to comment on somebody else's funny name, but you have to admit that Boo Weekley is a pretty odd moniker for a golfer. When I first heard it, I thought it was the Orioles' 2007 marketing slogan.

Jeff Pyles of Hyattsville defeated Kenny Mumaw of Glen Arm, 165-153, to win the $5,000 first prize in the Duckpin Professional Bowlers Association Masters Tournament Sunday at Fair Lanes Westview.The victory was Pyles' third of the year on the tour. Mumaw won $2,500 for finishing second.Pyles gained the final by defeating Wes O'Donnell ($1,500) of Riverdale, 198-142. O'Donnell earlier defeated DPBA Bowler of the Year, Swede Lavers, of Stratford, Conn., in a two-frame roll-off after they tied at 136. Lavers, who earned $1,250 plus $500 for being bowler of the year, rolled first in the roll-off and scored 28. O'Donnell doubled to win the match.

$TC THE EC 225 Committee -- residents who want to highlight Ellicott City's 225th birthday -- worked for four years to prepare for 1997's celebrations.The mission of committee members -- Cynthia Hirshberg, John Slater, Ed Lilley, Darlene Schneeberger, Herbert Johl, Warren Galke, Janet Kusterer, Randy Peters and Kathy Potocki -- was to beautify Historic Ellicott City and surrounding areas.In 1994, they sponsored an activity for 14 Patapsco Middle School students, who cleared the weeds from the land between the Firehouse Museum and the Masonic Lodge and planted donated plants to mimic a garden as it would have looked in the late 19th century.

The deadline for the annual Eldersburg Photo Contest, sponsored by the Carroll Eagle and Eldersburg.Net, is today, Sunday, Dec. 4. The contest is open to residents in the 21784 ZIP code and the Carroll County portion of Marriottsville. The original deadline was Nov. 27, but was extended to Dec. 4. The contest includes a first prize of $100, second prize of $50 and third prize of $25, with addition prizes in categories of Landscapes, Still Life and Architecture, People, and Ages 13 and under.

Mark Wilson won the $990,000 first prize in a four-man playoff at the Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, but only after a guy named Boo Weekley missed a 3-foot putt Sunday that would have given him the victory and basically made his life. I realize I should be the last person to comment on somebody else's funny name, but you have to admit that Boo Weekley is a pretty odd moniker for a golfer. When I first heard it, I thought it was the Orioles' 2007 marketing slogan.

A few years ago, Washington College decided to boost what seemed to be general public apathy about the man for whom the school was named by creating a book prize in his honor. Compared with presidents who inspired the popular imagination - like Lincoln, Jefferson or the Roosevelts - George Washington was thought a rather indistinct, remote figure. An annual $50,000 might not only stir attention for the first chief executive but also encourage more scholarship about the man. And what happened when the first George Washington Book Prize was announced last night at Washington's home in Mount Vernon?

DES MOINES, Iowa - The leading Democratic candidates raced across Iowa yesterday, delivering last-minute pitches and revving up supporters as a new poll indicated the potential for a close finish in tomorrow night's presidential caucuses. Voter surveys have consistently shown four contenders in a virtual dead heat for first place over the past week. A new poll, being published in today's Des Moines Register, showed Sen. John Kerry at 26 percent, Sen. John Edwards at 23 percent, former Gov. Howard Dean at 20 percent and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt at 18 percent.

There are nearly as many motivational factors as there are participants in today's second annual Baltimore Running Festival. There's a $3,000 cash prize for the winners in Baltimore's Comcast Marathon. When defending women's champion Elvira Kolpakova toes the starting line at 8 a.m., it will be another day on the job. Like the guy who first scaled Mount Everest, some will do it for the personal challenge. Michael Wyatt will run 26.2 miles to celebrate the health of his son, and Brian Cummings will do 6.4 miles because three dozen people in his office are participating in the Geico Direct Team Relay.

Thousands of spectators crowded the grassy front lawn of Howard Community College in Columbia yesterday to watch a 19-year-old Maryland woman take first prize in the 14th annual Columbia Classic Grand Prix. Marilyn Little, riding Landman, took home the trophy and top purse of $9,000 by besting a record number of riders in the premier show-jumping event. Riders from several nations vied for a total of $30,000 in prize money. The competitive field was heavy with former Olympic equestrians, current members of the U.S. equestrian team, and winners of major international show-jumping championships.

WARSAW, Poland -- Kevin Kenner, a Peabody Institute graduate, received the top prize awarded in the 12th international Frederic Chopin Piano Competition early today.But in an unprecedented decision, the jury of international musical luminaries decided no to award a first prize in the prestigious competition. Mr. Kenner, 27, was judged the best contestant and awarded the second prize.[The Associated Press reported that the decision to not award a first prize was apparently based on the belief that the competitors performed with technical skill but not genius.

Quick. What do Ralph Votapek, Vladimir Viardo and Simone Pedroni have in common?All won first prize in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, enjoyed bursts of fame and now languish in those fields of obscurity known as "whatever happened to ?"This Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Cliburn will crown a first-prize winner for the 10th time since the competition began in 1962. The lucky pianist will win $20,000 in cash, plus concert engagements and recording opportunities worth almost $250,000.

A group of M.B.A. students at the University of Maryland are proving that the school can excel in the boardroom as well as on the basketball court. As part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's annual venture capital investment competition, the five-student Maryland squad bested such business schools as those of Duke University and Wake Forest University to win second place in the regional competition and a $2,000 prize. UNC-Chapel Hill won the regional contest. Now the UM students are competing against seven schools in the national competition, which began last night.

Swish! Swish!It was spring, and Brother Wind was back. He come high steppin' through Ridgetop, dressed in his finest and trailing that long, silvery wind cape behind him.Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"Sure wish Brother Wind could be my partner at the junior cakewalk tomorrow night," say Mirandy, her face pressed against the cool cabin window. "Then I'd be sure to win."Ma Dear smiled. "There's an old saying that whoever catch the Wind can make him do their bidding.""I'm goin' to," say Mirandy. And she danced around the room, dipping, swinging, turning, wheeling.