Boulder Reporting Lab has earned 19 awards in the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2025 Top of the Rockies contest in the small newsroom category — the newsroom’s most ever in this annual competition recognizing outstanding reporting across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
The honors for work produced in 2024 include first place in Public Service Journalism, one of the most prestigious categories. The award recognized BRL’s in-depth reporting on the impacts of Xcel Energy’s April 2024 wildfire-prevention power shutoff, which left tens of thousands of Boulder County residents in the dark.
BRL’s coverage revealed the hidden toll of these outages — especially on medically vulnerable residents and critical services — and helped spark accountability and public discussion. The reporting also uncovered how poor coordination and miscommunication during the planned power shutoff nearly triggered a disaster: Boulder’s wastewater treatment plant was left completely offline, and sewage was minutes away from spilling into Boulder Creek, a drinking water source for downstream communities.
The reporting drew on public records, interviews and other sources to reveal what happened behind the scenes. Judges praised BRL for “piecing together a narrative and perspective of what happened.”
That same series also won first place in Breaking News Reporting for timely coverage of the widespread outages. The coverage provided timely updates, maps and visuals to keep the public informed during a fast-moving and disruptive event.
Three other stories received first-place honors. Our Boulder City Council Vote Tracker, created by John Herrick, was recognized in the Multimedia Story category for helping readers compare where candidates stood on key issues. Reporter Tim Drugan won for Climate Reporting for his coverage of how federal firefighting resources helped prevent larger disasters during Boulder County wildfires. And education contributor Jenna Sampson earned first place in Education News for her reporting on the Boulder Valley School District’s new cell phone policy and what it means for students and schools.
In addition to the five first-place honors, we received seven second-place awards. These included Don Kohlbauer’s photography of emotional moments following the King Soopers shooting trial; Tim Drugan’s environmental reporting on the underground coal fire at Marshall Mesa and concerns about lead contamination at Boulder’s airport; John Herrick’s beat reporting on Boulder County’s budget challenges; and Jenna Sampson’s education coverage on a policy aimed at better supporting neurodivergent students.
BRL also earned seven third-place awards across categories ranging from breaking news and business to social justice and mental health.
Well Done!! I am so proud to be a reader and a supporter of your news organization!