Society of Professional Journalists honors seven Boulder Daily Camera staffers
Apr. 23—The Society of Professional Journalists recognized seven Boulder Daily Camera staff members this weekend at the group's annual Top of the Rockies awards.
Work of Daily Camera journalists, published in 2022, was judged in the "large newsroom" category.
Photo editor Matthew Jonas earned first-place honors in news photography for a photo of a family who lost their home in the Marshall Fire, with a story titled "What we lost in the fire."
"This picture is worth 1,000 words," one judge wrote about the image, which was published on page A1 of the Jan. 9, 2022, Daily Camera. "The tragic scene of a home destroyed by fire. The two people in their emotional hug. The dog's lonely stare. Captures the essence of the severe loss extremely well."
Jonas also earned third place in spot news photography, with his photo titled "Force of Nature," of the Marshall Fire.
The story that accompanied Jonas's first-place image, "What we lost in the fire," earned Mitchell Byars third-place honors in the long-form feature category. Byars earned second place for breaking news story, "Another one," about the March 2022 NCAR Fire.
Amber Carlson, Amy Bounds and Andrea Grajeda won third place in general reporting-series for their end-of-the-year look back at the fire, titled "Marshall Fire Remembered," which told the stories of residents who were recovering from the disaster.
Sports reporter Brent New earned first place in sports feature for "Monarch finds greater meaning after Marshall Fire." "A compelling exploration of what happens when the bonds of sports transcend a human tragedy," a judge wrote.
New also won third place in sports news for his coverage of Broomfield High School's state baseball championship in "Broomfield's best!"
Editorial page editor Gary Garrison earned first-place honors for his entry of three editorials. "Gary Garrison's three editorials are well-researched, well-written and soundly reasoned," one judge wrote. "They address vital topics to the newspaper's readership, state and region and, in one case, the entire nation."
