The Colorado Sun scored 29 awards, including 13 first-place finishes in categories ranging from hard news to features to cartoons, graphics and photography, in the annual Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism competition that judges work from across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Additionally, politics reporter Sandra Fish was named journalist of the year, an honor given to “journalists who have produced extraordinary work in the last calendar year, embodying the SPJ Code of Ethics to seek truth and report it; minimize harm; act independently; and be accountable and transparent.” Fish shared the honor with longtime political journalist Fred Brown.
The winners were announced Saturday by the Colorado Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, which administered the annual contest. The Sun was the most-awarded news outlet in Colorado and the region in its extra-large division.
“We’re so proud to see our work recognized by peers across the West, but these awards really belong to the thousands of Colorado Sun members who make this work possible through their support,” said Sun Editor Larry Ryckman. “Good journalism requires curiosity, persistence and courage, and Sandra Fish deserves this honor for embodying all of those qualities and more. Her watchdog reporting is exactly the kind of accountability journalism envisioned when the founding fathers adopted the First Amendment.”
Sun writer Jennifer Brown took an individual first in mental health news for her look at the efforts of a park ranger and mental health worker to help people living on the street, while Tracy Ross won in ag and environment news for her story on rising human-moose conflicts in Colorado.
Tamara Chuang claimed top honors for her business feature explaining why recycled mattresses end up in landfills and John Ingold won in health news for his look at how lawmakers targeted hospital facility fees. Sun freelancers Robert Davis (breaking news) and Dan England (science and technology news) also took first place honors in the reporting and writing competition.
The Sun’s three-part look at the state of local journalism, “Final Edition: Saving Local News” by Brown and Kevin Simpson, took top honors in the business news category. Simpson and Ingold joined freelancers Nick Groke and Margaret Jackson to win first place in sports features for their four-part series “What the hell is wrong with the Rockies?” that looked at the baseball team’s extended stretch of futility.
Brown added a first for her contribution to “Last Resort,” a multi-outlet collaboration that looked at the problems plaguing schools that serve students with special needs.
The Sun also scored first place finishes in visual arts categories. Photographer Hugh Carey was honored for spot news photography for his photo of the Air Force Academy graduation, while Sun freelancer Dean Krakel won for climate photography with his shots of the researchers who study snow in remote Colorado mountains.
For the second straight year, Sun cartoonists R. Alan Brooks and Cori Redford received top honors for their weekly strip, “What’d I Miss?” that examines social issues through the lens of its unique characters, while freelancer Gabriella Trujillo won first place for her striking illustration that ran with writer Tatiana Flowers’ story on solitary confinement in Colorado prisons.
Contestants are judged against news outlets based on the size of their newsrooms — small, medium, large or extra-large. The Sun competes in the extra-large division, which includes newsrooms of 15 or more full-time journalists. This year’s submissions were judged by the greater Los Angeles chapter of the SPJ.
The Sun added 11 second-place finishes and five third-place awards to reach its total of 29 for work during the 2023 calendar year. Its overall total, as well as the number of top finishers, was the best in its extra-large newsroom class in Colorado and the four-state region. Among others of that size, the Salt Lake Tribune collected 27 awards (10 firsts) while the Albuquerque Journal (nine firsts) finished with 24 and Deseret News (six firsts) totaled 23 honors.
The Colorado Springs Gazette, which also competes in the extra-large division, totaled 13 awards (three firsts), while Colorado Public Radio won nine (three firsts). In the “large” newsroom class, the Denver Gazette scored 25 honors (12 firsts).
Other Colorado Sun journalism recognized:
Second place
A&E and Food: News or Feature: Tracy Ross for “An arts oasis on Colorado’s high plains is reckoning with changing climates of all kinds.” Best Solutions Journalism: John Ingold for “Turning semi-automatics into mattocks: How faith communities in Colorado are fighting gun violence.” Breaking News Story: Jason Blevins for “What it looked like as Colorado wildlife officials released 5 Oregon wolves in Grand County.” Business News: Jason Blevins for “After 50 years, the owner of Beau Jo’s is selling his famous Colorado pizza shop — to his employees.” Enterprise Reporting: Jesse Paul for “HOA foreclosures.” Feature Photography/Videography: William Woody for “Colorado onion harvesting races against freezing weather.”
Feature: Long Form: Jennifer Brown for “Wild ice draws skaters to the Colorado alpine. One woman is trying to make sure they survive.” Information Graphic: Danika Worthington, Eric Lubbers, Jennifer Brown for “The cost of 5 common grocery items has gone up 35% in Colorado in 5 years. Here’s the breakdown.” News Column, collection: Trish Zornio. Science and Technology Feature: Shannon Mullane for “Scientists are using lasers to uncover the secrets of Colorado’s snowpack. So what does it mean for your water supply?” Social Justice Reporting: Tatiana Flowers for “Colorado mothers speak out against OB-GYN racism to try to reverse decades-long trend of dangerous care.”
Third place
Climate Reporting: Olivia Prentzel for “Volunteers are on the hunt for one of Colorado’s most adorable animals before climate change erases them.” Editorial Cartoons, collection: Jim Morrissey. Education Feature: Erica Breunlin for “At Colorado forest schools, nature is both the classroom and the teacher.” Health Feature: Dan England for “Colorado’s thin air carries health risks for people with hypoxia. These hikers say the views are worth it.” Multimedia Story: Jesse Paul, Sandra Fish, Elliott Wenzler, Danika Worthington for “‘Welcome to Denver’: Meet the 17 mayoral candidates through their airport train greeting.”