ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University graduate Steven G. Smith was among photography staff members at the Rocky Mountain News who were awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize. This award, for Breaking News Photography, recognized the staff's coverage of Colorado's raging forest fires last summer. Smith graduated from Ohio University's School of Visual Communication in 1993 with a master's degree.

Smith said, "The School of Visual Communication at Ohio University had a tremendous influence over my career. There is an abundance of great teachers in the program who really care about their students and dedicated a tremendous amount of time to make the program great."

"Everywhere that Steve has worked, he has been applauded for his talent, humor and ability to work with people," said Terry Eiler, interim director of the School of Visual Communication. "He is very thoughtful and creative. What makes Steve stand out is he's a low-key kind of guy who quietly does his job extremely well."

Smith's work also has been recognized by a wide variety of other prestigious photojournalism contests, including: the Best of Photojournalism, Pictures of the Year, Society of News Design, the World Sports Foundation and more. His work has been shown in a variety of world-class museums, including the Smithsonian Museum, the International Professional Photography Hall of Fame and several other international museums.

Smith is now a free-lance photographer in Cody, Wyo. The Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs are on the Rocky Mountain News Web site at www.rockymountainnews.com . To see more of Smith's photographs, visit his Web site at www.stevengsmith.com/ .