Newsday’s Alejandra Villa wins Front Page Award for funeral photo

Carlos Lopez and Lourde Banegas mourn by the coffin of their son, Michael Lopez Banegas, during his funeral service at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church in Brentwood, April, 20, 2017. Credit: Newsday / Alejandra Villa
Newsday photographer Alejandra Villa has won a Front Page Award for her searing portrait of parents in gang-plagued Brentwood grieving the loss of their son.
Villa won in the breaking news category for her photograph — “This One is Yours Lord” — taken at the April 20 funeral.
“We are all very proud of Alejandra. Her photography captures the emotional trauma of a community that lost 6 teenagers to gang violence over the past year,” said John Keating, Newsday assistant managing editor/photography.
The Front Page Awards, presented by The Newswomen’s Club of New York, honor journalistic excellence by newswomen working in print, broadcasting, wire services, photography and online.
Winners were announced Wednesday. The awards will be presented at a black-tie gala at the Down Town Association in Manhattan on Nov. 9.
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