The Durango Herald won 56 media awards in two newspaper contests for outstanding work done in 2020.
The Herald won 24 awards in the Colorado Press Association’s Better News Media Contest, including 10 first-place awards in categories such as feature writing, investigative reporting, newspaper design and advertising. The Herald also won three sweepstakes awards for best advertising, editorial content, and photo and design. And it won the CPA’s General Excellence Award for its class size, which included about 17 other publications across the state.
“Well done series,” judges wrote of a story package about homelessness. “Getting to know homeless persons and the world they're in is no easy feat.”
The Herald won 32 awards in the Top of the Rockies contest, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists, which is a regional contest that includes newspapers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Among them, 12 were first-place awards in categories such as page design, sports reporting, science writing, photography, informational graphic and social justice reporting.
Notably, staff writer Shannon Mullane won five first-place awards, including two for sustained coverage – one on homelessness and another on race and policing.
“The stories are exemplary, excellent coverage of the the racial justice movement, with breadth and depth, in a rural community,” the judges wrote of Mullane’s coverage.
And Regional Sports Editor John Livingston snagged 10 awards in a variety of categories including news, column writing, sports reporting and podcasts.
“Tight, expressive writing. No flowery overkill, but graceful storytelling and nods to the bigger issues at play,” judges wrote for one of his stories.
The Herald competed with newsroom staffs of similar size in both competitions, including those with fewer than 16 full-time equivalent employees in the CPA contest and those with nine to 14 employees in the SPJ contest. In both, the Herald won more awards in its class than any other publication.
Richard Ballantine, chairman of Ballantine Communications Inc., which owns the Herald, thanked employees, advertisers and readers for their support of local journalism.
“Our reporters, editors and designers do great work, as these many awards attest, but this wouldn’t be possible without supporting departments and, most of all, readers and advertisers,” Ballantine said. “Thanks to those who appreciate good reporting and who value the local business community.”
Best News Story, “Immigrant family faces increased instability without stimulus safety net,” about an undocumented family trying to make ends meet during the pandemic without access to stimulus money, by Mullane, first place.
Best Feature Story, “National park rethinks its message about theft,” about Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park now embracing visitors rather than treating them like potential theft suspects, by Jonathan Romeo, first place.
Best Investigative Story Package, “One year later: Oil and gas worker’s death remains a mystery,” about Randy Yellowman’s death at a natural gas well pad south of Durango, by Romeo, first place.
Best Sports or Sports Event Story, “American Explorer: Howard Grotts discovers a drive beyond international mountain biking,” about Durango cycling star Howard Grotts taking a step back from full-time professional racing to pursue a career in education, by Livingston, first place.
Best Informational Graphic, “Where do you want to go?” about the Durango Airport Airfare Club, by Herald staff, first place.
Best Page Design, “Digging the Garden,” about food security concerns driving a desire for homegrown produce, by David Buck, first place.
Best Breaking News/Deadline Reporting, “Hundreds protest state-ordered closures in Farmington,” about more than 500 people demanding the state of New Mexico reopen mid-pandemic, by Liz Weber, second place.
Best Column Writing (Serious-Humorous-Sports), “Beautiful baseball played in an ugly scene,” a column by Livingston about a baseball game played in mid-July during the pandemic, second place.
“The scene at Parque de Vida in Cortez looked like any baseball tournament around the country during an ordinary year,” Livingston wrote. “But this is no ordinary year. It is a year in which sporting events and life as we know it ground to halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Best Editorial Writing, “Our view: 9-R board tells super, fix lunch-shaming policy,” an opinion piece urging Durango School District 9-R to update its policy as it relates to students who owe schools lunch money, by Robert Meyerowitz, second place.
Best Health Enterprise/Health Feature Story, “A lesson from the Spanish influenza outbreak a century ago,” about what measures help prevent viral spread in 1918 during the Spanish flu, by Romeo, second place.
“An imaginative and interesting angle for an important health feature,” judges wrote. “Strong reader appeal and a convincing argument for social distancing as a lesson from history. Well done.”
Best News Story, “About 100 turn out to voice support, opposition to 32nd Street pedestrian bridge,” about the city of Durango’s plan to build three bridges at East 32nd Street, by Romeo, second place.
“It’s an eyesore. It’s a monstrosity. It’s a huge waste of money. Those were only some of the recurring buzzwords used to describe the proposed pedestrian bridge crossing the Animas River at 32nd Street during the first public meeting about the project since renderings were released last month,” Romeo wrote in his lead.
Best Series or Sustained Coverage, “Homelessness,” a series of stories about homelessness in Durango, by Mullane and Brett Hauf, second place.
Best Informational Graphic, “Footnotes in the annals of history,” which used numbers to tell the story of how the COVID-19 shutdown impacted everyday life in Southwest Colorado, by Herald staff, second place.
Best Page Design, “Western Bloodbath,” an Arts & Entertainment story about scary movies with a cowboy twist to watch around Halloween, by Katie Chicklinski-Cahill, second place.
Best Photo Slideshow-Gallery or Photo Essay, for a gallery of photos from the first day of spring, which included a bald eagle snatching a fish from the pond in the Animas Valley, by Jerry McBride, second place.
Best Photography Portfolio, featuring a collection of various photos by McBride, second place.
Best Sports Photograph, “Flipping over a win,” by McBride, second place.
Best Editorial Special Section, “2020 Women in Business,” by Hunter Harrell, Chicklinski-Cahill, McBride and Tad Smith, first place.
Best Advertising Campaign, “Project Merry Christmas,” by Amy Baird and Christian Ridings, first place.
Best Digital Ad, “Honeyville Distillery Colorado,” by Shell Simonson and Bridget Williams, first place.
Best Print Ad, “Pediatric Associates of Durango,” by Cole Davis and Gary Markstein, first place.
Best Advertising Campaign, “Deb Archuleta,” by Kelly Bulkley, Markstein and Williams, second place.
Best Advertising Special Section, “2020 October Healthy Living,” Harrell, Smith, Markstein, Williams and Jamie Opalenik, second place.
Best Digital Ad, “Coldwell Banker Heritage House Realtor,” by Bulkley, Williams, Markstein and Christian Brooks, second place.
Social Justice Reporting, for a collection of stories about race and policing in Southwest Colorado, by Mullane, first place.
Enterprise Reporting, for a collection of stories about homelessness in Durango, by Mullane, first place.
“Great narrative writing and storytelling, amazing details that really paint a picture of a potential solution to a problem communities are facing nationwide,” judges wrote.
Science and Technology Feature, “Nancy versus the cell tower,” about a Durango woman who described herself as being trapped inside her own home because of the electromagnetic fields emitted by high-voltage power lines, cellphones and cell towers in the Animas Valley, by Mullane, first place.
“This reporter does a great job explaining a medical condition that some don’t believe exists,” judges wrote. “She uses anecdotes and research to explain the issue and how it’s not black and white.”
Health News, “Faces from the front lines: Four Corners doctors, nurses take on COVID-19,” about first responders to the coronavirus, by Romeo, Weber and Erika Alvero, first place.
“Thought-provoking piece takes us inside the hospital where frontline health care workers risk their lives to care for patients with COVID-19,” the judges wrote.
Obit Reporting, “Celebrating life before its end,” a story about Durango fertility doctor Joesph Gambone, who confronted his pending death by holding a celebration of life, by Mullane, first place.
Sports News, “UNBREAKABLE: Against all odds, Durango beats Cañon City for undefeated regular season,” about Durango High School’s football team winning a league title in an empty stadium, Livingston, first place.
Sports Columns, a series of columns by Livingston, first place. “Strong perspective and solid writing,” the judges wrote. “Taking on the big issues, not pulling punches while also seeing both sides.”
News Photography/Videography, McBride, first place.
Feature Page Design, “Some words are infected” for an Arts & Entertainment cover story about Durango High School Troupe 1096 taking to the airwaves with “Pontypool,” by Chicklinski-Cahill, first place.
Information Graphic, “Footnotes in the annals of history,” which used numbers to tell the story of how the pandemic shutdown affected everyday life in Southwest Colorado, by Herald staff, first place.
“You want to learn something by looking at an info graphic and that’s exactly what this entry does – it informs the reader of what is going on in their community with the pandemic and gives them information they may not otherwise think about or be able to find,” the judges wrote.
Column Personal/Humor, a series of Action Line columns, in which Tom Sluis answers readers questions in a humorous way, first place.
Editorial Cartoons, a collection of cartoons by Markstein, first place.
Editorials, for two opinion pieces, one about renaming Mount Evans and the other about the arrest of Durango’s former finance director, by Meyerowitz, second place.
Sports News, “Bayfield High School cancels Alamosa football game because of COVID-19,” by Livingston, second place.
Column Personal/Humor, a collection of columns called “Livy on the Lift” that share personal experiences and connections made while snowboarding at Purgatory Resort, by Livingston, second place.
Sports Photography/Videography, by McBride, second place.
Beat Reporting, “STATE CHAMPIONS: Durango defense stops Roosevelt to win first title since 1954,” by Livingston, second place.
Feature Page Design, “Western Bloodbath,” Chicklinski-Cahill, second place.
Podcast, “Living Sports by John Livingston Episode 22: Mountain biker Howard Grotts,” by Livingston, second place.
Features Short form, “National park rethinks its message about theft,” by Romeo, second place.
Health News, “Durango man’s family: Death made COVID-19 real,” about Roland Woody’s four-week battle with the coronavirus, by Romeo, second place.
Editorials, for two opinion pieces, both about the city of Durango’s effort to build a three-part bridge to cross the Animas River and East 32nd Street, by Meyerowitz, third place.
Sports Feature, “Le Tour de Kuss,” about Sepp Kuss’ unexpected climb to a Tour de France debut, by Livingston, third place.
Sports News, “Pro mountain biker Ben Sonntag identified as cyclist in fatal crash,” by Livingston, third place.
Business News, “Durango, a restaurant mecca, goes into shutdown mode,” about how restaurants were adapting to the statewide shutdown order during the pandemic, by Patrick Armijo, third place.
Public Service, “Your COVID questions answered,” a series of stories that took readers’ questions about the coronavirus and answered them based on health experts’ input, third place.
Single Page Design, for a Food & Nutrition design about a new brewery in Farmington, by Nick Gonzales, third place.
Illustration, for a hand-drawn image depicting a student talking to a school councilor through a computer, by Markstein, third place.
Ag and Environment Feature, “Rare cutthroat trout, saved in 416 Fire, set to be released back into the wild,” by Romeo, third place.
Health Feature, “Celebrating life before its end,” by Mullane, third place.
Health News, “A lesson from the Spanish influenza outbreak a century ago,” by Romeo, second place.
Social Justice Photography/Videography, for a collection of photos documenting the Black Lives Matters movement and protests, by McBride, third place.
