More than 80 news media outlets and 20 freelancers from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming entered the Top of the Rockies contest, according to the Colorado chapter of SPJ. The more than 1,850 entries were judged by the Los Angeles Press Club.

“The mission of the Standard-Examiner is to represent our community by telling important and interesting stories, through both words and images,” Standard-Examiner managing editor Jared Lloyd said. “It’s an honor to see the efforts of our staff recognized by their peers and highlighted for their excellence.”

Entries compete in four divisions based on newsroom size. Both the Standard-Examiner and its sister paper, the Daily Herald in Provo, compete in the “medium newsrooms” division.

The awards were presented Saturday, April 5, at the SPJ Region 9 Conference in Denver.

Below is more about the Standard-Examiner’s four winners.

FIRST PLACE: FEATURE PAGE DESIGN

The Standard-Examiner’s feature photo page from Ogden Marathon coverage, with photos by freelance contributor Brian Wolfer, claimed a first-place win. The page, printed on May 25, 2024, was produced by Standard-Examiner editor Ryan Comer.

“It’s an interesting format and is the very definition of a feature page highlighting the subject,” wrote the judges.

SECOND PLACE: SPORTS FEATURE

Dillon Jones was a one-of-a-kind college basketball player and a Weber State great. Sports editor Brett Hein profiled Jones ahead of the NBA draft in a piece headlined, “‘It was already written’: Undeterred and unbothered, focused work has Dillon Jones ready for NBA draft.”

The story, published online on June 23, 2024, with a feature photo by freelance contributor Isaac Fisher, won second place in the sports feature category.

THIRD PLACE: SPORTS NEWS

The Layton High and greater Northern Utah baseball family learned longtime coach Jeff Nakaishi’s sudden onset of cancer meant remaining days with him would be short. Standard-Examiner freelance contributor Bob Judson reported on Nakaishi’s final day on the diamond at a game on March 14, 2024.

Judson’s story, headlined, “Layton High baseball honors longtime area coach Jeff Nakaishi after sudden cancer diagnosis,” which detailed Nakaishi seeing his grandson play varsity baseball for the first time and the various tributes paid to the coach, won third place in the sports news category.

THIRD PLACE: SINGLE-PAGE DESIGN

The Standard-Examiner’s sports front page package for the 2024 All-Area football team and players of the year, printed Dec. 21, 2024, won third place in “single-page design.”

The page, produced by Standard-Examiner lead designer Ryan Olson, features a unique three-photo centerpiece for co-players of the year Robert Young of Roy and Bode Sparrow of Davis. Prep sports reporter Conner Becker wrote both stories for the page and took the photograph for Morgan High as team of the year.

The page also features a digital portrait illustration and one action shot from photographer Brian Wolfer, and a frame from photographer Isaac Fisher.