The Gazette family of newspapers won more than 50 awards at the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2026 Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism contest. 

The Gazette family, which includes The Denver Gazette, The Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Politics, collectively won 51 awards at a ceremony Saturday. 

Colorado Politics won 12 awards, including three first-place awards; The Denver Gazette won 26 awards, including seven first-place awards; and The Colorado Springs Gazette won 13 awards; with two first-place awards. 

The Denver Gazette’s David Migoya secured first place in investigative reporting for his series on Colorado’s $100 million charitable gaming industry.

“Fascinating report on a loosely-regulated industry, well-researched and investigated,” said the judge of Migoya’s story. 

Colorado Politics reporter Marianne Goodland, contributed to six award-winning pieces including first- and second-place awards for breaking news stories on Colorado Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis’ resignation amid ethics investigation and lawmakers efforts to tackle affordable condo construction. 

Debbie Kelley at the Colorado Springs Gazette won two first-place awards for a special section on car camping and a feature on a pickleball dispute in Colorado Springs. 

This is an outstanding piece of reporting and even more remarkable knowing it was produced by a single journalist,” said the judge of Kelley’s car camping piece. “The depth of sourcing, policy detail, emotional range and structural coherence reflect serious professional discipline.”

Colorado Politics editors Luige del Puerto and Thelma Grimes secured a first-place award for headlines for the article “The Condo Conundrum”, with the judge emphasizing the “insight and wit” of the headlines. 

The Denver Gazette’s sports team secured two first-place awards. Kyle Fredrickson and Mark Kiszla won first place for a feature on the death of ex-Avalanche enforcer Chris Simon and a range of sports columns, respectively. 

Gazette newspapers’ paginator Cat Kammerer brought home five awards including two second-place awards and a third-place award for single page design, first place for feature page design with the Denver Gazette, and third place for illustrations. 

The Denver Gazette’s Jenny Deam and John Moore took home first-place awards for an article on Colorado’s DNA scandal and obituary writing, respectively. 

“Excellent reporting. The advancement of forensic sciences and the courts’ dependence on the results has opened a cesspool of crime, corruption, and fraud, which was well-presented here,” said the judge of Deam’s work. 

Top of the Rockies is a regional contest for reporters and news organizations in Colorado, Utah , New Mexico and Wyoming. The 2026 contest had nearly 2,100 entries — the largest field ever — from 100 news media outlets and 25 freelancers. The entries were judged by journalists in Southern California. 

The Denver Gazette

Investigative Reporting: First place, Colorado’s $110M bingo industry is littered with loopholes – and hardly anyone is watching, David Migoya

Obit Writing: First place, A dog’s life: Remembering an adorable pooch in a pouch named Titus, John Moore

Sports: Feature: First place, Death of ex-Avalanche enforcer Chris Simon a focus of CTE risk in NHL | Health after hockey: Part I, Kyle Fredrickson

Sports: Columns: First place, Mark Kiszla

Feature Page Design: First place, Tilting TABOR, Cat Kammerer

Single Page Design: First place, Icy Hot, Cat Kammerer

Legal News: First place, Hundreds of cases affected but few retests, Jenny Deam

Sports: News: Second place, Deion Sanders announces he is cancer-free after having bladder removed, Tyler King

Personal/Humor Column: Second place, John Moore

Science and Technology News: Second place, Colorado’s energy crunch: Can renewables keep pace with data center demands? | ANALYSIS, Scott Weiser

Sports: Columns: Second place, Paul Klee

Mental Health News: Second place, Larimer County-owned addiction treatment facility welcomes those who show up at the front door, Hap Fry

Headlines: Third place, With new Michelin stars, Denver’s South Pearl Street ready to make the dining world its oyster, Bernadette Berdychowski

Illustration: Third place, Child Rape, Cat Kammerer

Sports: News: Third place, Ex-Broncos star Riley Odoms back in Denver a year after tragic car accident following Ring of Fame induction, Chris Tomasson

Climate Photography/Videography: Third place, Ice castles, Stephen Swofford

Front Page Design: Third place, U.S. Strikes Iran, Laurel Foster

Special Topic/Section: Third place, Housing, Sage Kelley, Deborah Grigsby, Mark Samuelson

Features: Short form: Third place, Columbine survivor’s death ruled a homicide, 26 years after shooting, Carol McKinley

A&E and Food: Criticism: Third place, An adapted ‘Pericles’ that connects with audiences on the spectrum, John Moore

Feature: Long form: Third place, How cold was it? Fraser’s minus 44 night beats Minnesota for coldest in nation, Carol McKinley

Public Service: Third place, Aurora’s new police chief confronts Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Kyla Pearce

Beat Reporting: Third place, 16th Street Mall, Bernadette Berdychowski, Sage Kelley

General Reporting – Series or Package: Third place, Concerns rise over child safety in Jeffco Schools after multiple sexual assault cases and misconduct, Sage Kelley

Business News: Third place, I can’t do business in Denver, Mark Samuelson

A&E and Food: News or Feature: Third place, A grieving Lumineer sings for his brother — and his health, John Moore

Colorado Politics

Headlines: First place, The Condo Conundrum, Luige del Puerto, Thelma Grimes

Breaking News Story: First place, Colorado Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis resigns amid ethics investigation and allegations of fabricating letter of support, Marianne Goodland

Feature Page Design: First place, Session Wrap-up, Michael Hayes

Breaking News Story: Second place, EXCLUSIVE: Colorado lawmakers to tackle affordable condo construction issues, Marianne Goodland

Solutions Journalism: Second place, Legislation Inside: Colorado prisoners seek to change laws from within, Marissa Ventrelli

Front Page Design: Second place, A Growing Divide, Michael Hayes

Personal/Humor Column: Second place, Marianne Goodland

Climate Reporting: Third place, Rural Reckoning | Colorado’s energy shift leaves rural livelihoods in limbo, Thelma Grimes, Marianne Goodland, Michael Braithwaite, David Williams, Hap Fry, Marissa Ventrelli, Rachael Wright

Obit Writing: Third place, John R. Stulp, Colorado’s first water czar, remembered for dedication to public service, Marianne Goodland

Business Feature: Third place, Colorado’s fees, regulations outpace tax advantages | FISCAL ROCKIES, Marissa Ventrelli, Thelma Grimes, Hap Fry, Marianne Goodland, David Williams, Rachael Wright, Michael Braithwaite, Deborah Grigsby

Public Service: Third place, Federal court vs. ICE on immigration issues, Michael Karlik

Politics Feature: Third place, Searching for the ‘off-ramp’: Colorado officials ask if America can step back from political violence, Thelma Grimes

The Colorado Springs Gazette 

Special Topic/Section: First place, Car Camping, Debbie Kelley

Features: Short form: First place, Wresting over the paddle: Pickleball dispute heats up in Colorado Springs, Debbie Kelley

Climate Reporting: Second place, The legacy and loss of Colorado’s once-mighty glaciers, Seth Boster

Obit Writing: Second place, Daniel Giffin, unbreakable cancer fighter in Colorado Springs, dies at 17, Seth Boster

Feature Photography/Videography: Second place, Air Force Band, Christian Murdock

News Reporting – Single Story: Second place, Where are they? 86 unaccounted for as questions remain weeks after DEA raid of illegal nightclub, Mackenzie Bodell

Front Page Design: Second place, Mission: Possible, Dale Dimitri

Single Page Design: Second place, Child Rape, Cat Kammerer

Feature: Long form: Second place, Southern Colorado visionary basks in the glow of Neon Alley, Seth Boster

Ag and Environment: News: Second place, Lessons from L.A.: What Colorado Springs can learn about wildfire preparedness, Savannah Eller

Business News: Second place, Downtown Colorado Springs: Decade of progress, most say, some problems remain, Rich Laden, Breeanna Jent

Single Page Design: Third place, Colorado’s Costly Climate Fight, Cat Kammerer

Mental Health Feature: Third place, Sober softball league hits home runs for mental health, addiction recovery in Colorado Springs, Breeanna Jent