Grand opening joy, athletic effort win photo contest
Seven-year-old's Block 34 moment and regional softball game drama win reader vote
The Stillwegian's readers selected their favorite images from 2025 through ranked-choice voting, with a joyful moment from Block 34's grand opening winning the news category and a dramatic defensive play winning the sports title.
The contest marked the publication's first use of ranked-choice voting, which allowed readers to rank multiple entries rather than selecting just one favorite. Twenty finalists competed across two categories, with voting conducted through RankedVote.co.
Block 34 Grand Opening – Confetti Kid wins news category
"Block 34 Grand Opening – Confetti Kid" secured the news title with 83 votes after seven rounds of tabulation. The image captured seven-year-old Beaudie Beckstrom celebrating amid falling confetti during the July 26 dedication ceremony for downtown's new community space.
The moment held special significance for the Beckstrom family. Beaudie's grandfather, Jim Beckstrom, was instrumental in bringing Block 34 to life through a decade-long effort that transformed the vacant city block into what organizers call a "community living room." The project represents one of Stillwater's most significant public-private partnerships, with Steve and Becky Irby contributing nearly $8 million to the development.
Beaudie is the son of Jarrod and Samantha Beckstrom.
"A Decade of Stillwater Strong," left, finished second in the news category with 40 votes, while "Merry-Go-Round Freckles," center, placed third with 14 votes before elimination in Round 6 of the ranked-choice voting process, right. The voting results show Block 34's winning photo maintained a strong lead through all seven rounds. – Photos by Chris Peters
"A Decade of Stillwater Strong" finished second with 45 votes, while "Merry-Go-Round Freckles" placed third before being eliminated in the final round with 14 votes.
Block 34's winning photo led from the opening round with 64 first-place votes and steadily built support as lower-ranked entries were eliminated and votes redistributed based on voters' ranked preferences.
You can see the full results with breakdowns for each round of voting for the news category here.
Lucely Kutz – Flat Out Effort claims sports title
"Lucely Kutz – Flat Out Effort" claimed the sports category with 44 votes. The photo showed Southmoore shortstop Lucely "Tita" Kutz attempting a diving catch during the Sabercats' Oct. 9 regional championship game against Stillwater at Couch Park.
The Lady Pioneers won the epic slugfest 20-19 in eight innings to claim the regional title and advance to the state tournament. The game featured five home runs, 43 combined hits and nearly three hours of back-and-forth action.
Kutz, a member of Southmoore's Class of 2028, also competes in wrestling and track for the Sabercats.
"Bonnie Rutherford – One Swing Home Run," left, finished second in the sports category, while "Grace Tonga – Base Hit," center, placed third with 22 votes before elimination in Round 7 of the ranked-choice voting process, right. Lucely Kutz's diving catch steadily built support through all seven rounds to claim the sports title with 44 votes. – Photos by Chris Peters
"Bonnie Rutherford – One Swing Home Run" finished second with 37 votes. The image captured Stillwater senior and longtime team manager Bonnie Rutherford stepping up to the plate before hitting an unofficial in-field home run on the first pitch against the Norman Tigers on Sept. 15 at Couch Park.
"Grace Tonga – Base Hit" placed third with 22 votes before elimination in the final round.
You can see the full results with breakdowns for each round of voting for the sports category here.
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How ranked-choice voting worked
The voting system uses instant-runoff tabulation to ensure winning photos have broad support from readers. Voters ranked candidates in order of preference rather than selecting a single choice.
When no photo received a majority of first-place votes, the photo with the fewest first-place votes was eliminated and those votes redistributed to voters' second choices. The process continued through multiple rounds until one photo achieved majority support.
Both contests required seven rounds to determine winners. The news category saw "Slow Bike Race – Last is First" eliminated first, while "Ivan McFarlin II – Super Slam" was the first eliminated in sports.
The finalists
Ten photos competed in each category. News finalists included images from community events including the Block 34 grand opening, Dancing Turtles bike parade, Payne County Free Fair, Block 34 Live concert series, Myers Park playground opening, Oklahoma State University Homecoming parade and the Run4Grady memorial run.
Sports finalists featured Stillwater High School athletes competing in softball, basketball, volleyball and football, along with Oklahoma State University head football coach Eric Morris at his introductory event.
All finalist photos were taken by photographer Chris Peters and published in The Stillwegian throughout 2025.
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