Today, just a few days after the Colorado Press Association’s extraordinary 146th Annual Convention, I write with a renewed sense of purpose and hope for the future of our newspaper. And by “our,” I mean all of us.
To every single person who made this happen – thank you. To every single advertiser that supports the paper – thank you. To every single subscriber – thank you. These awards are not about us, they’re about all of us: collectively, our community of The Mountain-Ear. This is OUR newspaper and we are all in this together.
To our entire staff (past, present and future) – thank you for being part of the TEAM! Check out the awards below.
Innovation: Christian Vanek. This award recognizes an individual or group that has significantly improved its business model in multiple areas to reflect changes in audience, revenue stream, content dissemination, and other applicable areas of change within the industry. 2023 was the year Christian purchased The Mountain-Ear. Thanks to his contributions, a team was formed that would carry the tenets of community journalism forward with integrity and love for the communities that they serve.
General Excellence: The Mountain-Ear
Excellence in mixed media/other: The Mountain-Ear
College: Best News Story, 1st place - Jessica Boehner. “DYAO and collaborators inspire an audience”
College: Best News Story, 2nd place - Amanda Godfrey. “Tea time and teddy bears at the Gillaspie House Museum”
Best Arts & Entertainment Column, 1st place - Dave Gibson. “A new era: Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza”
Best Arts & Entertainment Column, 2nd place - Sara Sandstrom. “NMSHS theater dances their way to Footloose”
Best Crime & Public Safety Reporting, 1st place - Omayra Acevedo. “Human trafficking and domestic violence in plain sight”
Best Education Story, 1st place - Sara Sandstrom. “Mentorship Program takes off in Ned schools”
Best Humorous Column Writing, 1st place - Mark Cohen. “Diversions: Replace FDGD with FDQD”
Best Humorous Column Writing, 2nd place - Doug Armitage. “Bluegrass pick etiquette”
Best Opinion Writing, 2nd place - Christopher Kelley. “Do androids dream of bureaucratic permanence?”
Best Public Service Project, 2nd place - Denise Boehler. “Pet of the Week and animal stories”
Best Serious Column Writing - John MacKay. “Mountain Folk Tales: Why are we here?”
Best Feature Photograph, 1st place - Omayra Acevedo. “Honoring Madam Lou Bunch: 49 years and counting”
Best page design, 2nd place - Barbara Hardt. “Getting the feeling at Blossoms of Light”
Best Photography Portfolio, 1st place - Dave Gibson
Best Photography Portfolio, 2nd place - Omayra Acevedo
Best Sports Photograph, 1st place - Dave Gibson. “Buck for the Badge”
Other/Mixed Media, 1st place - Cynthia Davis, Dango Rose, Jamie Lammers, Maryann Rosen. The Mountain-Ear Podcast: “COTREX App explained,” “Sugarloaf FD Garage Sale,” “Donna the Buffalo”...
Other/Mixed Media, 2nd place - Cynthia Davis, Dango Rose, Jamie Lammers, Maryann Rosen. The Mountain-Ear Podcast: “Memoirs of an Intern, part one of three”; Indigenous tribes of Colorado”…
That year brought big changes to how
the newspaper is conceptualized, written, designed, and printed, and this year’s CPA awards honored all of that hard work.
In 2023, The Mountain-Ear delivered excellence in mixed media, thanks to the team’s efforts on our podcast, our website, and our special publications.
Overall, the team was recognized for delivering the best arts and entertainment stories, the best education stories, best humor columns, best serious columns, best opinion articles, best public service articles, best stories from college interns, and best photography.
All of this was the result of a team dedicated to an innovative vision: to embrace the future while remaining true to the foundations that The Mountain-Ear was built on.
The Mountain-Ear is OUR community source for news, each of us, together. To reach us anytime, call 303-810-5409 or email info@themountainear.com.
