The Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists recently announced the winners of the 2021 Top of the Rockies contest, and reporters from The Gazette and Colorado Politics are featured among the best in a four-state area.

A regional contest that includes journalists in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, Top of the Rockies recognizes journalistic excellence in a host of categories, including news reporting, feature writing, and columns.

The awards are divided by newsroom size: small, medium, large, and extra-large. The Gazette competes in the extra-large category; Colorado Politics is in the Medium grouping.

Colorado Politics Awardees:

Breaking News Story

First Place – “GEO to close Cheyenne Mountain Re-entry Center on March 7,” Marianne Goodland

Second Place – “ELECTION 2020: Trump fires up his base at Springs rally,” Ernest Luning

Column – Personal/Humor

Third Place – Marianne Goodland 2020 columns

Best Solutions Journalism

Third Place – “Denver’s deadly crime wave swells amid a ‘perfect storm of circumstances’,” Alayna Alvarez

News Column

Third Place – Joey Bunch’s 2020 columns

Legal Feature

First Place – “Adams County judge, her supporters find flaw in retention process,” Michael Karlik (with Liam Adams at Colorado Community Newspapers)

Second Place – “Federal Judges in Colorado granted 12% of pandemic-related early release requests,” Michael Karlik

Third Place – What is behind the ‘no’ vote on judicial retention?,” Michael Karlik

Politics Feature

Third Place – “Insiders discuss what’s different about the divisions at Denver City Hall,” Alayna Alvarez

Politics News

Second Place – “Colorado’s top advocacy groups drive the discussions,” Joey Bunch

The Gazette Awardees:

Features, Short Form

First Place – “Brothers with COVID together until the end,” Stephanie Earls

Single Story News Reporting

First Place – “Clements investigation ripped,” Christopher Osher

Second Place – “Chad Burnett – Man’s death in resisting police highlights gap in training,” Olivia Prentzel

Social Justice Reporting

Second Place – “Criminal injustice,” Christopher Osher, Evan Wyloge

Third Place – “Where the homeless die,” Jakob Rodgers

Long Form Feature

Second Place – “We move on as we must – Wichita State Football,” Brent Briggeman