Julia Goldberg with the Santa Fe Reporter is a wealth of knowledge about opera and all things arts-and-entertainment.

Second Place

Wyoming Tribune Eagle

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Monte Carlo Steakhouse serves up unpretentious menu, decent prices on old Route 66| Mesa Provisions has vaulted into the ranks of best restaurants in the city | 3128 Social House part of new era in Nob Hill dining

It's comforting for a city's readership to have a beat restaurant reviewer as good as this one, who can speak to every angle prospective diners want to know about, from a spot's history to value-for-price to whether the meat gets cooked as requested.

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Second Place

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Southwest Contemporary

Southwest Contemporary's reviews of remote art exhibits really make us wish we could put in the same literal legwork she did to visit these spookily altered landscapes.

Second Place

Gastronomic Salt Lake City

Three music festival reviews: An epic 50th anniversary celebration of the unbreakable Telluride Bluegrass Festival; 50th fest gets underway, blowing minds and breaking boundaries; Upping the musical ante yet again

The Denver Gazette's visit to the 88 Drive-In, in its last days, is a perfect encapsulation of what it's like to visit an ozoner that has seen better days--part skankiness, as the writer says, but mostly magic. Kudos, also, for the same writer's description of an emotional "Kinky Boots" school performance that means everything to one very invested participant.

Second Place

Food and art both seem like inexhaustibly rich subjects in these entries. We were especially drawn to how the Santa Fe Reporter writer delves into the interesting personal lives as well as culinary goals of the people who've opened a micro food hall.

Second Place

"We Want People To Have A Great Night Out. That's All-And That's A Lot." (Webhed: Inside the Reopening of Casa Bonita With Trey Parker and Matt Stone)

The story on the reopening of a kitschy Colorado classic restaurant by the "South Park" creators is just more fun than humans should be allowed to have, to quote David Letterman. It takes a skilled writer to give this the absorbing treatment it deserves.

Second Place

Ouray County Plaindealer

A feature on the Ouray shop that handcrafts many hundreds of Grammys each year (along with "Convoy"-themed ducks, oddly enough) provides a fascinating look into how a small-town business is thriving hundreds of miles away from the glitzy destination for many of its famous wares.

Second Place

KRCL 90.9fm RadioACTive show

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The family standout contestant who defied viewers' belief by overcoming disability to appear on "America's Got Talent" gets a deserved narrative treatment in this touching tale of persevering and support.

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Second Place

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A vivid story entangling agriculture and environment through delicate sprouts, dusty roads, and many hopes.

Second Place

Jackson Hole News&Guide

Well reported, well presented, tackling an important subject in a way that was thorough without overwhelming the audience.

Second Place

New Mexico Political Report

Excellent reporting incorporating a lot of elements and voices, all of which blend together well.

Second Place

Farmers fear laws meant to protect agricultural workers could put them out of business, end iconic Colorado crops

Invasive mudsnails are creeping into Wyoming. A snorkeler recently discovered them in Albany County

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More than horseplay: Challenges of profession cause decline in numbers of large-animal veterinarians

Literary craftsman does the medical rounds with valiant veterinarians. A poignant tribute to an underappreciated profession. Kudos also to photographer Jon Austria.

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Second Place

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Second Place

Yellow Scene Magazine

A layered approach: Boulder's efforts against oil and gas drilling, climate disasters in a warming world

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Compelling storytelling weaved into a well-researched piece.

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Second Place

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Utah Investigative Journalism Project

A plan to protect Utah from US Magnesium's toxic waste relies on something that is disappearing

This piece highlights a fascinating debate and is extremely well-written.

Second Place

Fort Collins Coloradoan

A scary insight into how the oil and gas industry is using up precious water resources.
Well researched and sourced.

Second Place

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Incredible heart and passion in this storytelling - and engaging writing to boot.

Second Place

Second Place

Second Place

These stories collectively expose the challenges posed by entrenched housing laws on Boulder's affordability goals, exploring efforts to overcome them, with the alarming rise in homelessness as the most pernicious symptom of these failed policies.

Colorado Times Recorder

The reproductive justice beat - covering all aspects of pro- and anti-abortion activism, policy, and law.

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Next Avenue, TODAY.com, AKC Family Dog Magazine, Discover, The American Animal Hospital Association's NEWStat

I am a Denver-based freelance journalist who writes news, feature and service articles about pets.

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Second Place

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The deep reporting of this piece never overwhelms. In fact, it is this depth that offers structural support for the distinction found in the writing and interviews.

Second Place

Source New Mexico/ProPublica

A rigorous and in-depth examination of FEMA's failed policies that led to the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. The series provides heartbreaking accounts of the many survivors that were let down by the federal government and offers potential solutions to an urgent problem.

Second Place

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Colorado Springs Gazette

A must-read expose into the many preventable deaths that have occurred in Colorado's assisted-living facilities in the past five years. The series relies on police reports, court records and a large number of sources to deliver solutions journalism at its finest.

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Second Place

Turning semi-automatics into mattocks: How faith communities in Colorado are fighting gun violence

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Comprehensive, compelling journalism about finding solutions to flooding risks in Boulder, Colorado.

Second Place

The facts of the case are laid out eloquently in a well-researched, well-written and important article.

Second Place

A heartbreaking story, respectfully told with a keen eye for the necessary details.

Second Place

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Second Place

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New Mexico Political Report

Second Place

Colorado Court of Appeals ruling on defamation lawsuit is a win for all but one member of the Boulder Progressives

This story dug up a paper trail and traced records back nearly a decade to help explain public criticism against the current process for city contractors and a lack of transparency for taxpayers.

Second Place

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Utah Investigative Journalism Project

This is a well reported piece with lots of voices included from all sides. The topic is important on a local level, as well as a greater national one. This is a riveting read.

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Second Place

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Denver Business Journal

This piece does a good job of showing the benefits, drawbacks and challenges involved with increasing minimum wage. There are multiple points of view presented very clearly.

Second Place