The Ouray County Plaindealer took home five awards last weekend from the four-state Top of the Rockies journalism contest.
The contest, sponsored by the Colorado Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and open to news organizations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, drew more than 1,900 entries from more than 100 print, online and broadcast media outlets and freelance journalists. It’s one of the largest regional journalism contests in the country. Entries were judged by the Los Angeles Press Club and divided into small, medium, large and extra-large newsrooms, based on staff size.
The contest recognized work published or broadcast during the 2023 calendar year.
The Plaindealer competed in the small newsroom category along with news organizations including Boulder Reporting Lab, Colorado Newsline, KVNF Radio, New Mexico Political Report, Green River Star and the former Four Corners Free Press.
Former Plaindealer reporter Liz Teitz won first place in the arts and entertainment/ food news and feature category for her story about the employees who make the Grammy Awards in Ridgway. Teitz now covers environmental news for the San Antonio Express-News.
The judges wrote: “A feature on the Ouray shop that handcrafts many hundreds of Grammys each year (along with “Convoy”-themed ducks, oddly enough) provides a fascinating look into how a small-town business is thriving hundreds of miles away from the glitzy destination for many of its famous wares.”
Clockwise from upper left: Erin McIntyre, Mike Wiggins, Liz Teitz and David Emory all won awards in the regional SPJ Top of the Rockies competition for work completed in 2023.
Co-publisher Erin McIntyre won first place in the news photography category for her photograph of Ridgway resident David Gottorff making an obscene gesture while being led out of the Ouray County Courthouse after he was sentenced to eight years in prison for threatening, following and harassing law-enforcement officers.
The judges wrote: “This photo definitely tells a story.”
Co-publisher Mike Wiggins won first place in the obituary reporting category for his story about the life and contributions of Don Carlton, who for 20 years documented the landscapes and points of historic interest in and around Ouray County in a series of sketches known as “A Wistful Visitor’s Ouray Sketchbook.”
The judges wrote: “This obituary was an interesting read about a man who spent his career capturing the world around him and sharing it with the masses through his sketches.”
Plaindealer contributor David Emory won first place in the spot news photography category for his photo of Ouray track and field athlete Roman Sackman landing in a triple-jump competition.
“What a great expression!” the judges wrote. “This photo captures a great moment!”
McIntyre also won third place in the long-form feature category for “Carl’s Village,” a story about the efforts of local residents to help ensure 87-year-old Ouray resident Carl Dismant continues to live in his own home.
