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Gazette family of papers rakes in 64 awards at 2025 Colorado Press Association Better News Contest

Washington, August 30, 2026

The Gazette family of newspapers won 64 awards in the Colorado Press Association’s annual Better News Contest — a whopping 36 more than the three papers collectively won last year. 

Colorado Politics raked in 27, The Colorado Springs Gazette took home 21 and The Denver Gazette brought in 16. Colorado Politics also received the Best in Editorial Excellence award in its division.

Of those, 26 were first-place awards — 11 for Colorado Politics, 10 for The Colorado Springs Gazette and five for The Denver Gazette. 

Marianne Goodland, Michael Braithwaite, David Williams, Michael Karlik, Marissa Ventrelli and Thelma Grimes were among first-place winners for Colorado Politics for columns and reporting on politics, energy, environment, social justice, agriculture and health. 

Michael Hayes took home two first-place awards for cover and page design for Colorado Politics, and Rachael Wright, Ernest Luning and Luige Del Puerto were also among Colorado Politics winners.

Seth Boster won first place for environmental reporting, while The Colorado Springs Gazette staff won first place for an editorial special section. Stefani Rackley, Michelle Thomsen, Jerry Herman, O’Dell Isaac, Gina Pietramale, Nick Smith, Samantha Thomas, Eric Young, Kelly Spieker, Adam Harris and Yvonne Ramos brought in first place awards for ads and ad campaigns and Dale Dimitri, Samantha Thomas and Jerilee Bennett raked in first place awards for page design and photography. 

Jennifer Mulson, Brent Briggeman, Cat Kammerer, Christian Murdock and Sarah Warrendar also took home awards for work with The Colorado Springs Gazette. 

Among Denver Gazette first-place winners were Mark Samuelson, Chris Osher, Evan Wyloge, David Migoya and John Moore for column writing and reporting on business, politics and data journalism.

Other staff who won awards for work featured in The Denver Gazette included Laurel Foster, Carol McKinley, Michael Braithwaite, Bernadette Berdychowski, Kyle Fredrickson, Deborah Grigsby, Paul Klee and Cat Kammerer.

Michael Braithwaite was also awarded the CPA Rising Star Award, which recognizes a candidate’s commitment to their news organization, potential as a future leader, passion for the industry and contribution to the future success of the industry.

The full list of awards is below.

Colorado Politics awards

  • First Place: Best Agriculture Story, Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioner calls relocation of Copper Creek wolf pack a ‘mistake’, Marianne Goodland
  • Second Place: Best Agriculture Story, Rural Reckoning | Colorado rancher: ‘This is no longer an agriculture-friendly environment’, Rachael Wright
  • Third Place: Best Agriculture Story, Rural Reckoning | What does rural Colorado want to see in the next governor?, Thelma Grimes and Marianne Goodland
  • Second Place: Best Breaking News/Deadline Reporting, EXCLUSIVE: Colorado lawmakers to tackle affordable condo construction issues, Marianne Goodland
  • Third Place: Best Breaking News/Deadline Reporting, Ballot measure seeks tax hike for higher income earners in 2026, Marianne Goodland
  • First Place: Photo and Design Best Cover Design, A Tale of Two Cities, Michael Hayes
  • Third Place: Best Cover Design, Cold Front, Michael Hayes
  • Second Place: Editorial Best Crime & Public Safety Reporting, Fundamentally unjust’: Colorado federal judge’s commentaries on fairness stand out, Michael Karlik
  • Third Place: Best Crime & Public Safety Reporting, Legislation Inside: Colorado prisoners seek to change laws from within, Marissa Ventrelli
  • First Place: Best Data Journalism Reporting, Rural Reckoning | Colorado highways are crumbling, and so is the funding to fix them, Michael Braithwaite
  • First Place: Best Environmental Story, Rural Reckoning |Colorado’s energy shift leaves rural livelihoods in limbo, David Williams
  • Second Place: Best Feature Story, From potatoes to rockets, Colorado’s unique industries lead the way | FISCAL ROCKIES, Michael Braithwaite
  • Third Place: Best Feature Story, A graying Colorado: State grapples with fast growing older population | COVER STORY, Thelma Grimes
  • Third Place: Best Headline Writing, The Condo Conundrum, Luige Del Puerto and Thelma Grimes
  • First Place: Best Health Enterprise/Feature Story, Medicaid spending surge for therapy sessions prompts Colorado to reinstate limits, Marissa Ventrelli
  • First Place: Best Humorous Column Writing, A Personal Take From 2024, Marianne Goodland
  • Second Place: Best Investigative Story Package, Head of Colorado’s guardianship office resigns amid reports of toxic workplace, high turnover, Marianne Goodland
  • First Place: Best Politics Reporting, Rural Reckoning | Wolves prey on relationship between Polis and rural Colorado, Marianne Goodland
  • First Place: Best Public Service Project, Michael Karlik
  • Second Place: Best Public Service Project, Rural Reckoning | Colorado’s energy shift leaves rural livelihoods in limbo, David Williams
  • Third Place: Best Public Service Project, Colorado’s federal judges recused 200 times in 4 years for variety of reasons, Michael Karlik
  • First Place: Best Serious Column Writing, Reflecting on the aftermath of Gabby Giffords’ shooting 13 years later, Thelma Grimes
  • Third Place: Best Serious Column Writing, Don’t F-with moms: Brittany Pettersen pushes proxy voting for new parents in U.S. House, Ernest Luning
  • First Place: Best Social Justice or Equity Reporting, Weird. Confusing. Disheartening: Colorado Supreme Court under fire over racial bias proposal, Michael Karlik
  • Second Place: Best Social Justice or Equity Reporting, Trump’s executive orders prompt U.S. attorney’s office to pull out of Colorado judges’ diversity program, Michael Karlik
  • Third Place: Best Social Justice or Equity Reporting, As Colorado explores transgender policies, some parents argue they infringe on their rights, Marissa Ventrelli
  • First Place: Best Page Design, All About Water, Michael Hayes

Colorado Springs Gazette awards

  • First Place: Best Advertising Campaign, Salvation Army Red Kettles, Stefani Rackley and Michelle Thomsen
  • Second Place: Best Advertising Campaign, Louie’s Pizza, Stefani Rackley and Michelle Thomsen
  • First Place: Best Advertising Special Section, 2025 Back to School Guide, Jerry Herman, O’Dell Isaac, Gina Pietramale, Nick Smith, Samantha Thomas, Michelle Thomsen and Eric Young
  • First Place: Best News Media/House Ad Promotion, Subscribe to The Gazette, Kelly Spieker and Adam Harris
  • First Place: Best Print Ad, Who Gives a Scrap Spadea, Yvonne Ramos and Michelle Thomsen
  • Second Place: Best Arts & Entertainment Column Writing, Bird Call, Jennifer Mulson
  • Third Place: Best Arts & Entertainment Column Writing, Seth Boster, Seth Boster
  • First Place: Best Editorial Special Section, Colorado Living August 2025, Staff
  • First Place: Best Environmental Story, The legacy and loss of Colorado’s once-mighty glaciers, Seth Boster
  • Second Place: Best Humorous Column Writing, Live Well, Jennifer Mulson
  • Second Place: Best Sports Column Writing, Brent Briggeman
  • First Place: Best Cover Design, Supermen, Dale Dimitri
  • Second Place: Best Cover Design, Mission: Possible, Dale Dimitri
  • Third Place: Best Cover Design, Looking at the state of downtown, Sarah Warrendar
  • Third Place: Best Feature Photograph, Air Force Band, Christian Murdock
  • First Place: Best Page Design, Time, Samantha Thomas
  • Second Place: Best Page Design, Climate Fight, Cat Kammerer
  • Third Place: Best Page Design, Elon’s Exit, Cat Kammerer
  • First Place: Best Photography Portfolio, Jerilee Bennett
  • First Place: Best Sponsorship Campaign, The Empty Stocking Fund, Kelly Spieker and Adam Harris
  • Second Place: Best Sponsorship Campaign, Best and Brightest, Kelly Spieker and Adam Harris

Denver Gazette awards

  • Second Place: Best Arts & Entertainment Column Writing, A theater company at the Air Force Academy? It’s Elle-mentary, John Moore
  • First Place: Best Business News/Feature Story, I can’t do business in Denver, Mark Samuelson
  • Second Place: Best Cover Design, I felt this sense of peace, Laurel Foster
  • First Place: Best Data Journalism Reporting, How Colorado’s marijuana testing loopholes threaten consumer safety, Chris Osher and Evan Wyloge
  • Second Place: Best Data Journalism Reporting, Rural Reckoning | Colorado highways are crumbling, and so is the funding to fix them, Michael Braithwaite
  • Second Place: Best Feature Story, So long Honky-Tonk: Denver Stockyard Saloon has its last dance, Carol McKinley
  • Third Place: Best Headline Writing, The art of making Colorado’s offal meat, Bernadette Berdychowski
  • Second Place: Best Humorous Column Writing, John Moore, John Moore
  • Third Place: Best Humorous Column Writing, Kirby vacuums and friendships: They don’t make them like they used to, John Moore
  • Third Place: Best Page Design, Tilting TABOR, Cat Kammerer
  • First Place: Best Politics Reporting, Colorado campaign finance penalties ‘a runaway train without an off-ramp‘, David Migoya
  • Third Place: Best Public Service Project, Health after hockey, Kyle Fredrickson
  • First Place: Best Serious Column Writing, Actor Wayne Kennedy’s greatest role was as father, on stage or off, John Moore
  • Second Place: Best Serious Column Writing, An adapted ‘Pericles’ that connects with audiences on the spectrum, John Moore
  • Third Place: Best Social Justice or Equity Reporting, Salvation Army’s Harbor Light Center helps addicts get back on their feet, Deborah Grigsby
  • Third Place: Best Sports Column Writing, Paul Klee