“It is a particularly great honor to receive the Angus McDougall award since, more than any other honor, it recognizes the value of teamwork and the many talented editors and photographers who contribute to our visual report,” said Meaghan Looram, The Times’s director of photography. “I believe our portfolio this year highlighted the broad variety of photography that our staff and freelance contributors are creating, and the versatility and ingenuity of our photo editors and our print and digital design colleagues who are devoted to presenting our visual journalism to our readers in the most powerful formats for every medium.”

Ms. Phelps grew up in a mostly rural and conservative area outside of Newark, Ohio. From an early age she wanted nothing more than to leave: After studying photography at the Columbus College of Art and Design, she spent two years living on a goat farm in Italy, then spent time in Chile, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. After turning her attention to photojournalism — and running out of money — she made her way back home. Now at The Advocate for six years, she has learned to appreciate her hometown.

“I understand the supportive nature of my community and that everyone is there for everyone else when somebody is in need,” she said. “I came back to it with both the eyes of an outsider and somebody who grew up there. I now understand that people are just living their lives doing the best they can and that we’re all human.”