Effort.

It’s the one through-line of every great story I see.

Television news constantly forces the hands of the people who bring it. At various points throughout the evolution of a story, a reporter, photographer, or multimedia journalist must decide when they have done enough:

Did I do every interview I can do for this story, or do I need to find another?

Do I have enough footage for this story, or do I need to shoot more?

Is this script exactly as I want it, or should I read over it again?

How much time do I have to keep editing, or do I need to submit my story for air?

These are the questions that daily confront TV news journalists, and they are often answered by the ticking clock of the deadline. But more than that, they come down to effort.

I thought about this frequently as I watched this year’s video winners for the NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism awards.

In each one, I saw numerous moments that only succeeded because the winning photographer made an extra piece of effort, be it during the gathering or editing process.

This year, I was one of those winning photographers; as I mentioned last week, I received 1st place in the category of Solo Video Journalism: General News. I won for the story of a Madison County, Ga. man who rescued a baby on the side of the road; the piece went viral and aired, in slightly edited form, on NBC Nightly News. As I wrote then, that story is a quintessential example of the value of effort.

Here are four other winning entries that I found particularly powerful — and the lessons I took from them:

THE STORY: The Fury of Ferguson, by Jeff Christian (KING-TV, Seattle)

THE LESSON: In times of chaos, go back to basics.

I was not in Ferguson, Mo. when the grand jury announced no indictment of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed teenager Michael Brown. But I can only imagine how chaotic, frenetic, and frankly scary the whole thing must have seemed for anyone on the ground. Give credit to KING-TV’s Jeff Christian, then, for so poignantly capturing that freneticism — and by doing so with some of the most basic tools in the photographer’s shed. What stands out most to me is Christian’s sequencing. He jumps back and forth between wider and tighter shots, to the point where his quick cuts and shifting scenes never feel jarring; they (along with reporter Boyd Huppert’s beautiful narration) carry the viewer through the story’s locations, moments, and themes.

THE STORY: 20-x-30-Foot Treasure, by Douglas Burgess (KING-TV, Seattle)
THE LESSON: Use your surroundings.

In most people’s hands, this is a simple story: someone stole an American flag from a local business, which ultimately got it back. In the hands of KING-TV’s Douglas Burgess, this is still a simple story, but it is elevated with eye-catching visuals that propel it forward. Again, think about effort: Burgess did not need to shoot so much video of the business operators at work, but he did, seizing an opportunity to capture crisp audio and unique action. Burgess did not need to get numerous angles and zoom lengths of the surveillance footage, but he did, giving extra movement and speed to a potentially slower part of the story. These are signs of a storyteller who thinks creatively about how to do his job.

THE STORY: Christina Runs America, by Garvin Thomas (KNTV-TV, San Francisco)
THE LESSON: Keep getting those shots.

This year’s other big winner in the solo video journalism categories was Garvin Thomas, who produces stories for NBC San Francisco’s Bay Area Proud series. His story here focuses on a woman running across the entire country, with an additional sense of purpose that Thomas wisely reveals late in the story. Despite all that, Thomas is not given too much to work with here in terms of visuals; I mean, really, how many ways can you show someone running? Turns out, quite a few, and Thomas succeeds by continuing to find creative ways to put the woman, Christina, in her surroundings. This story never drags, which is a combination of the poignancy of Thomas’ writing and the variety in his shooting.

THE STORY: Emmett and Erling, by Jonathan Malat (KARE-TV, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
THE LESSON: Live for the moments.

I wrote about this piece when I first saw it in July, and I will simply repeat what I wrote then: “Thank goodness (Boyd) Huppert and (Jonathan) Malat (of KARE-TV) receive the latitude to produce pieces like this. I don’t want to spoil its many beautiful moments; I will just say that these two storytellers perfectly capture an unlikely relationship, with writing and photographic techniques that should be taught to young journalists everywhere.” I will also say that, in an era where most award-winning stories thrive on mile-a-minute edits, Malat shows the power in capturing moments and then letting them breathe.

Matt Pearl is the author of the Telling the Story blog and podcast. Feel free to comment below or e-mail Matt at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com.