SPJ Colorado Pro Announces 2023 Top of the Rockies Winners

The Colorado Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has announced the winners of the 2023 Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism Contest.

The contest for professional journalists has been administered for more than a decade by the Colorado Professional Chapter on behalf of SPJ chapters in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. 

Top of the Rockies is a regional, multi-platform contest for reporters and news organizations in the four states. The contest grew from a Colorado-only contest on the heels of the closure of the Rocky Mountain News in 2009 to ensure a robust and competitive field. 

The 2023 contest had more than 1,750 entries from more than 100 news media outlets and freelancers, a 12% increase over the number of entries in 2022. The entries were judged by journalists in Illinois and Ohio.

“We are pleased to see so many news media outlets competing in Top of the Rockies,” said Deb Hurley Brobst, the contest’s coordinator. “We are seeing top-notch journalism from journalists throughout the region, no matter what the staff size.”

Entrants compete in four divisions based on newsroom staff size: extra-large newsrooms, large newsrooms, medium newsrooms and small newsrooms. 

To view the full list of winners, click here.