Boulder Reporting Lab earned 19 awards in the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2026 Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism contest, including eight first place honors, continuing the nonprofit newsroom’s record of regional recognition for accountability and community-centered reporting.
The annual contest honors journalism from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This year’s competition drew a record 2,000 entries across hundreds of categories, making it one of the largest regional journalism contests in the West.
BRL competed in the small newsroom division and was recognized across a broad range of categories, including investigative reporting, breaking news, climate, business, education, health, multimedia, newsletters and beat reporting.
The newsroom’s first-place awards were led by accountability journalism that produced real-world impact.
Brooke Stephenson won first place in Investigative Reporting for “Exposing the deal: How hyperlocal reporting changed the fate of Boulder’s beloved Iris Fields,” which uncovered a controversial land arrangement involving one of Boulder’s cherished open spaces and helped alter the outcome. Judges called it a “well-researched and thoroughly investigated story on a topic that … has a big impact on a local community.”
Stephenson also won first place in Health Feature for “A difficult first year for Bluebird, Boulder’s newest attempt to shelter its most vulnerable,” an in-depth examination of Boulder’s homelessness-response model and the challenges of caring for residents with severe needs. Judges praised it as “rigorous, compassionate journalism that confronts uncomfortable facts without abandoning empathy.”
John Herrick earned first place in Beat Reporting for “When supports vanish: Boulder’s unraveling safety-net services and community impact,” highlighting strains on local social services and the ripple effects for vulnerable residents. Judges described it as “good, solid news reporting — clear, crisp and to-the-point writing.”
The team also won first place in Breaking News Story for Nederland fire coverage, recognized by judges for its vivid account of the disaster and its impact on the community.
BRL’s climate reporting also stood out. Stephenson received first place in Climate Reporting for “Boulder fire officer on LA wildfire devastation: ‘Everything we historically trained on is irrelevant now,’” a story connecting California’s destructive fires to changing wildfire realities facing Boulder County. Judges said the piece “stood out for telling the story of climate change from a firefighter’s perspective.”
Digital innovation was also recognized. The team won first place in Multimedia Story for “Boulder expands wildfire risk zone to 16,000+ homes. Is yours one of them?,” an interactive project helping readers understand whether their homes were inside the city’s expanded wildfire hazard area.
Education coverage rounded out the top honors. Education contributor Jenna Sampson won first place in Education News for “Threat at Boulder’s Summit Middle sparks parent concerns over transparency, safety protocols.” Judges said the story “answered all the questions readers — and parents — might want to know, especially moving forward.”
In addition to its eight first place awards, BRL earned seven second place awards and four third place honors.
Second-place recognitions included BRL Today in Newsletter; Por Jaijongkit’s coverage of Colorado’s rejection of Xcel’s initial Boulder coal ash cleanup plan; Herrick’s housing coverage in Beat Reporting; Herrick’s legal reporting on a lawsuit involving a former NAACP Boulder County member; Sampson’s investigation into a Boulder homeschool shutdown; Stephenson’s reporting on the sudden closure of Boulder Abortion Clinic; and Simon Testa’s opinion writing.
Jaijongkit also earned two third-place awards: one in Climate Reporting for “Boulder’s fierce winds aren’t new. What’s new is the extreme fire risk that now comes with them” and another in Health News for “Boulder begins planning to transition away from toxic leaded fuel at city airport by 2030.”
Additional third-place honors included solutions journalism on clean water at San Lazaro mobile home park, mental health reporting on Boulder’s first psilocybin healing centers and more.
The awards reflect BRL’s continued focus on journalism that explains complex issues, scrutinizes power and informs the Boulder community on the issues shaping daily life, from wildfire risk and housing affordability to education, homelessness, business transitions and public health.
They also reflect the journalism our readers make possible through their support.
Launched at the end of 2021, Boulder Reporting Lab has earned dozens of state and regional journalism honors while emerging as a model for truly local, nonprofit journalism rooted in accountability, public service and deep community reporting.