SALT LAKE CITY — The Deseret News netted big wins in two prestigious regional journalism contests for outstanding reporting, photography, page design and digital publication.
Six Deseret News reporters were recognized in the Best of the West contest, competing against an estimated 1,000 entries from 14 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
An additional 27 awards were won in the Top of the Rockies contest. Put on by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the contest is open to journalists throughout SPJ's Region 9 in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. This year's Top of the Rockies contest attracted 784 entries, the chapter reported.
Best of the West
Breaking News Reporting: 1st place, Dennis Romboy, Lisa Riley Roche and Pat Reavy, Criminal charges — Ex-A.G.s Swallow, Shurtleff accepted bribes, destroyed evidence
Business and Financial Reporting: 1st place, Lane Anderson, Can the simple innovation of paying moms for milk save newborns?; 3rd place, McKenzie Romero, A slice of success
Immigration and Border Reporting: 3rd Place, Marjorie Cortez, Little Emmanuel’s journey home a tale of sacrifice, heartbreak and redemption
The Best of the West contest is administered by First Amendment Funding Inc., an nonprofit corporation out of Arizona. Proceeds help finance free media hotlines providing legal advice on public records and open meetings issues.
Top of the Rockies
General Reporting - Series or Package: 1st place, Lois Collins, Mark Kellner, Sara Israelsen-Hartley, Lane Anderson, Eric Schulzke, Emmilie Buchanan, Amanda Taylor, Amy Choate-Nielsen, Michael de Groote, The Ten Today: How relevant are the Ten Commandments in modern society?; 2nd place, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Crude reality: North Dakota oil boom has Utah envying its surplus green
Multimedia Story: 1st place, Lois M. Collins, Jeffrey Allred, Christian Ross, Matthew Montgomery, Life and Liberty
Breaking News Story: 2nd place, Dennis Romboy, Pat Reavy, Lisa Riley Roche, Allegations of corruption land on Shurtleff, Swallow; 3rd place, Dennis Romboy, Marjorie Cortez, Mark A. Kellner, Lisa Riley Roche, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, McKenzie Romero, Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Utah
News Reporting - Single Story: 3rd place, McKenzie Romero, Death, injury an annual reality in OHV sport beloved by Utahns
Specialized Reporting - Health, Enterprise Reporting: 1st place, Emilee Bench, A new way to love: Spouses become caregivers as Alzheimer’s progresses; 2nd place, Chandra Johnson, Video games battle back: How technology fights trauma
Specialized Reporting - Legal, General Reporting: 1st place, Whitney Evans, Protecting children: Identifying signs of a child being groomed for sexual abuse; 2nd place, McKenzie Romero, Bountiful man speaks out after dismissal of child sex abuse charges
Specialized Reporting - Politics, General Reporting: 1st place, Lisa Riley Roche, Love already making news as first black Republican woman in Congress
Specialized Reporting - Sports Columns: 1st place, Brad Rock, Sports columns about Max Hall, Derek Fisher, Jerry Sloan.
Specialized Reporting - Business, General Reporting: 2nd place, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Moab’s dilemma: Can recreation coexist with energy?
Specialized Reporting - Science, General Reporting: 2nd place, Jasen Lee, What a young girl can learn from Utah women about STEM education and careers
Specialized Reporting - Education, Enterprise Reporting: 2nd place, Eric Schulzke, Striking a chord: Program brings violin training, life skills to underprivileged classrooms
Specialized Reporting - A&E Criticism: 2nd place, Christine Rappleye, Deseret News book reviews.
Specialized Reporting - A&E Enterprise Reporting: 2nd place, Whitney Butters Wilde and Rachel Brutsch, Utah arts series.
Specialized Reporting - A&E Single Story: 3rd place, Aaron Shill, An ‘unlikely father of five': Comedian Jim Gaffigan talks about the rewards, challenges of parenting
General Website Excellence: 3rd place, Deseret News National Edition.
Online Mobile Applications: 1st place, Deseret News iOS App.
News Column: 3rd place, Jay Evensen.
Single Page Design: 1st place, Heidi Perry.
Feature Page Design: 2nd place, Tyler Pratt.
Column Personal/Humor: 1st place, Lee Benson, About Utah columns; 2nd place, Lois M. Collins, personal columns.
Photojournalism - News Photography: 1st place, Hugh Carey, Vigil for Young Girl's Mother.
Photojournalism - Sports Photography: 2nd place, Hugh Carey, Winning the Title.