The Ouray County Plaindealer took home 11 awards last weekend from the four-state Society of Professional Journalists’ Top of the Rockies’ Excellence in Journalism competition for the newspaper’s work in 2025.
The contest included more than 100 news media outlets, including print, radio and online publishers, from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. The year’s competition included more than 2,000 entries and was judged by journalists in southern California.
The Plaindealer earned first-place awards for:
• Solutions Journalism, for Mike Wiggins’ coverage of Swiss Village Mobile Home Park residents’ struggle — and ultimate success — in purchasing the land underneath their homes, ensuring the property is preserved for affordable housing. Judges wrote: “From start to finish, Mike Wiggins was on top of this inspiring story of how a landmark mobile home community was able to buy the land under their homes when at first it seemed they could not possibly afford it. Housing affordability is one of America’s greatest challenges, and thanks to Mr. Wiggins’ reporting, America has a new example of how to save mobile home parks when they go up for sale.”
It’s the second year in a row the Plaindealer has won first place in the Solutions Journalism category for its coverage of Swiss Village. The category focuses on journalism produced to highlight and explain social problems.
• Sports news story, for Erin McIntyre’s story about the opening of the Cimarron Athletic Field behind Ridgway Secondary School, a $4 million athletic complex project that opened last fall after three years of volunteer work, research, fundraising and construc-tion.
• Obituary writing, for Wiggins’ story chronicling the life and death of Ridgway adventurer Don Moden, who died in an avalanche on Red Mountain. Judges wrote: “Beautifully tendered how it happened, then a recounting of the life. Much love, tactility, but also great depth for the love of adventure, life and dreaming.”
• News photography, for McIntyre’s photo of Ouray resident Carol Deihl holding the U.S. flag upside-down in silent protest during the annual Fourth of July parade. Judges wrote: “Creative choice for covering the subject intentionally out of focus. The viewer still can’t help but look at her first.”
• Feature photography, for McIntyre’s photo of Ouray County 4-H Club member Hennessy Discoe holding a chicken during the Ouray County Fair. Judges wrote: “Compelling photo of a young woman with a chicken preparing for a round-robin showmanship competition. There’s a confidence in the chicken’s casualness of the situation that makes this photo stand out.”
McIntyre swept the feature photography category, winning second place for her photo documenting the retirement of longtime Ridgway post office employee Laura Hagert and third place for a photo of Ouray High School’s graduation.
The Plaindealer earned second-place awards for:
• Ag and Environment feature, for Lia Salvatierra’s story about Ridgway resident Dana Ivers placing 170 acres of property in a conservation easement with the Colorado West Land Trust.
• Headline writing by Wiggins. The Plaindealer earned thirdplace awards for:
• Breaking news story, for McIntyre’s story on the discovery of Ridgway resident Jennifer Nelson’s body in a mine shaft on Red Mountain Pass.
• Sports photography, for David Emory’s photo of a high school track and field long jump competition.
The Plaindealer competed in the “small newsroom” category against outlets including the Cortez Journal, Telluride Times, Boulder Reporting Lab, Colorado Newsline, Colorado Times-Recorder, the Rocket Miner newspaper in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and KVNF Public Radio.
