Here are all of The Colorado Sun’s award-winning stories from 2018

The Colorado Sun hasn’t been around for very long — we began publishing on Sept. 10, 2018 — but already we’ve won several big regional journalism awards for our stories on everything from health and political reporting to the outdoors and trash.

Here’s a look at the work we did that has been honored:

Best of the West journalism awards

Contest includes entries from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

News writing

| Second Place

“He seemed to have it all”: Arapahoe High School senior’s suicide rattles emotionally fatigued, frightened community
By Jennifer Brown

“A narrow and deep exploration of teen suicide that features great insights and wonderful writing,” the category’s judge wrote. “It is an issue many media outlets have tackled, but few as well as this piece.”

Growth & environment reporting

| Third place

Recycling in Colorado is tedious, cost-prohibitive, voluntary — and evolving

Coloradans generate 9.6 pounds of trash per person, per day. Where does it all go?

Where does our poop end up? Probably spread on farmland in eastern Colorado

By Jennifer Brown, Tamara Chuang and Kevin Simpson

“This brilliant series creatively highlights one of the most fundamental environmental challenges of all—waste,” the category’s judge wrote.

Society of Professional Journalists “Top of the Rockies” awards

Contest includes entries from Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah. Category: large-market outlets with a circulation of more than 75,000.

Politics general reporting

| First Place

Colorado Republicans, reeling from 2018 losses, wonder: Is it us or is it Trump?

Three graphics that explain the 2018 election and Colorado’s political future

It wasn’t just cash: How texting cannabis voters and tech outreach strategies lifted Jared Polis to victory

Jared Polis vs. Walker Stapleton: What the polls show in the Colorado governor’s race

How the “outdoor voter” has emerged as a potentially potent political force in Colorado

How Donald Trump, guns and cash spelled an end to Mike Coffman’s decade in Congress

Democrats will control Colorado’s government for the first time since 1936. Here’s a chart showing historical trends.

Jared Polis Promise Tracker: A look at the progress on his 2018 campaign pledges

Personal injury attorney Franklin Azar donates $224,000 to PAC that has district court judge Edward Moss’ retention in its sights

It’s official: 2018 is the costliest year ever in Colorado politics

The nastiest Colorado campaign attacks filling your mailbox — and the truth behind them

Who’s paying for those political ads? Dark money is tough to track in Colorado

Women who vote: They’ve shown their might, now they want results in the 6th Congressional District

Reporters & Editors: John Frank, Jesse Paul, Brian Eason, Sandra Fish, Jennifer Brown, John Ingold, Eric Lubbers, Jason Blevins, Carrie Osgood

“A very strong category, but the 2018 election coverage by the Colorado Sun stood out because of how comprehensive, readable and pedestrian it was. These stories look at Colorado politics from angles other media outlets don’t think of,” the judge wrote.

News reporting single story

| First Place

“He seemed to have it all”: Arapahoe High School senior’s suicide rattles emotionally fatigued, frightened community
By Jennifer Brown

“This is a captivating and heart-wrenching read about an extremely important topic. The writer handled the subject responsibly, contextualizing the scope of the crisis without delving into the unnecessary details so often reported with suicides. The intention of this piece was clearly to inform readers about the youth mental health crisis and offer them resources, not to capitalize on a tragic death for page views,” the judge wrote.

Best solutions journalism

| First Place

A roadside hotel in Eagle is being transformed into affordable homes — and other housing-strapped resort communities are watching

Aspen’s workers are hitting retirement age. And that’s made the resort town’s employee housing program a ticking time bomb.

High-country Colorado towns wrangle big-city problems with homelessness

By Jason Blevins and Nancy Lofholm

“Thoroughly reported and extremely well-written,” the judge wrote.

Health general reporting

| First Place

The opioid crisis is breaking hearts in Colorado and that’s forcing doctors to make tough choices
By Jesse Paul

“The clear winner,” the judge wrote. “The topic is important, the stakes could not be higher and the ethical challenges troubling. The writing was elevated by detail, anecdote and thoughtful interviews. Original and solid reporting, well done.”