Leadville Burro Race on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, near Mosquito Pass. This photo was part of the story “‘It’s like riding an escalator’: Burro racing isn’t likely to go mainstream, but it’s having a moment in Colorado,” winner of the Colorado Press Association award winner for Best Sports or Sports Event Story. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)

The Colorado Sun won 10 awards, including seven first-place honors, in the Colorado Press Association’s annual Better News Media contest on Saturday.

The Sun, which despite its relatively smaller size was entered in the Class 3 category along with Colorado’s largest newspapers and outlets, also was recognized with three second-place awards for stories produced in 2022.

Earlier this year, Colorado Sun journalists won 23 honors, including 13 first-place awards, in the four-state Top of the Rockies contest sponsored by the Colorado Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. That contest was open to news organizations in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming, and it drew more than 1,750 entries from over 100 outlets and freelancers that were judged by journalists from Illinois and Ohio.

Here are The Sun’s awards from Saturday’s CPA awards:

First Place

  1. Best Agriculture Story: North Park is ground zero in Colorado’s wolf controversy. Ranchers want to know if anyone hears them. Jennifer Brown.
  2. Best Breaking News/Deadline Reporting: The minute-by-minute story of the Marshall fire’s wind-fueled tear through Boulder County. Jennifer Brown, Jesse Paul
  3. Best Crime & Public Safety Reporting: Denverites worried crime would accompany safe outdoor spaces. Data shows the opposite happened. Tatiana Flowers, Tamara Chuang, Brammhi Balarajan.
  4. Best Health Enterprise/Health Feature Story: What does it take to persuade someone to get a COVID vaccine? Patience, understanding and a lot of love. John Ingold.
  5. Best Social Justice or Equity Reporting: One Navajo community finally gets electricity after more than 10 years. It’s still waiting for water. Shannon Mullane.
  6. Best Sports or Sports Event Story: ‘It’s like riding an escalator’: Burro racing isn’t likely to go mainstream, but it’s having a moment in Colorado. Jennifer Brown.
  7. Best Website: Eric Lubbers, Danika Worthington.

Second Place

  1. Best Education Story: A rural Colorado school goes back for seconds to honor a legendary lunch lady. Nancy Lofholm.
  2. Best Politics Reporting: Meet the Colorado rancher spending $11 million – and counting – to prevent Jared Polis from winning reelection. Jesse Paul.
  3. Best Public Service Project: Colorado’s Failed Adoptions. Jennifer Brown, Olivia Prentzel, Shannon Najmabadi, Olivia Sun.

This byline is used for articles and guides written collaboratively by The Colorado Sun reporters, editors and producers.