Source New Mexico Wins 23 Awards In Society Of Professional Journalists Contest

By Source NM Staff, Source New Mexico

April 24, 2023

Over the weekend, Source New Mexico staff and contributors brought home 23 awards from the 2023 Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism Contest.

The contest judged more than 1,750 entries from more than 100 news outlets and freelancers in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Source NM won first place in 10 different categories for reporting on election denialism, medical debt and issues in state prison. The publication’s expansive coverage of the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Fire won multiple awards and placed in several categories with work from multiple reporters. Source NM also won for best news photo, and in a stunner, best sports photo.

Five freelance contributors were honored for their work last year, too. Judges looked at work published in 2022, which is the second year of operation for Source NM.

Austin Fisher
First place, health: news, for ‘We need someone to stand up for us’: NM fails patients hounded by medical debt collectors

First place, legal: news, for Turmoil at the state’s biggest jail: Staff members flee as crises unfold

First place, mental health: news, for New prison mail policy costly to families – emotionally and financially

Sharon Chischilly
First place, news photography, for Families searching for loved ones bring criticism of law enforcement to first Missing in NM Day

First place, sports photography, for State championship tourney at The Pit draws cautious Indigenous players and fans

Patrick Lohmann
First place, best solutions journalism: news, for In a tiny NM courtroom, evictions begin again

First place, extended coverage: news, for A prescription for disaster

First place, enterprise reporting: news, for The biggest fire in New Mexico history

Second place, best solutions journalism, for In a tiny NM courtroom, evictions begin again

Third place, enterprise reporting: news, for The biggest fire in New Mexico history

Andrew Beale
First place, beat reporting: news, for The Election Denial Movement in New Mexico

Shaun Griswold
First place, feature: short form, for Grasses sprout in fresh burn scars as residents get their bearings

Second place, news reporting – single story for, Inside the evacuation zone, people protect animals, homes and each other

Second place, sports: news, for State championship tourney at The Pit draws cautious Indigenous players and fans

Second place, arts and entertainment: news or feature, for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon on the sounds of home in the Southwest

Third place, business: enterprise reporting, for Picuris Pueblo works to preserve its independence through N.M. recreational cannabis industry

Megan Gleason
Second place, feature: long form, for ‘It’ll never be the same.’ Northern NM residents fly over burn scar to map damage themselves

Third place, ag and environment: news, for State inspections lag for New Mexico’s primary drinking water source

Third place, business: feature, for NM suffers service industry worker shortage, but positions lack pay, protection and benefits

Danielle Prokop
Second place, science and technology: feature, for New Mexico Downwinders demand recognition, justice

Gino Gutierrez
Third place, spot photography, for Officers detain demonstrators during protest on UNM campus against conspiracy theorist Charlie Kirk

Bright Quashie
Second place, social justice photography, for Friends, family grieve for ‘mighty’ and ‘fearless’ Brett Rosenau

Marisa Demarco
Third place, news column, for Secrecy is a pathogen, too / On the word ‘lie’ and passive voice in covering the SWAT raid / Ronchetti camp can’t stop a scrappy, independent press

Source New Mexico, an independent, nonprofit news organization, delivers original reporting and stories that center the lived experiences and expertise of the people of New Mexico, alongside insightful opinion and analysis. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.