Albuquerque Journal Wins 15 Awards in Rocky Mountain Journalism Contest

The Albuquerque Journal earned a total of fifteen honors from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Top of the Rockies competition, which spotlights excellence across New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Five of those were first‑place trophies in categories such as Breaking News Story, Headline Writing, Sports Photography/Videography, Business News and Arts & Entertainment/ Food Criticism. The paper also collected four second‑place awards and six third‑place recognitions, showing a strong performance across many journalistic fields. In the Breaking News Story category, Algernon D’Ammassa, Matthew Reisen and Justin Garcia produced a piece that vividly described the tragic events in Las Cruces. Elizabeth Trujillo earned first place for Headline Writing with a catchy title that captured the excitement of a Taos ski‑valley outdoor rink. Sports Photography/Videography winner Chancey Bush captured a dramatic moment in the “Bloody Victory” piece, while Logan Royce Beitmen took first for Arts & Entertainment/ Food Criticism with a thoughtful column about an opera date.Gregory R. C. Hasman’s Business News story, “It’s not just a place to die, ” blended history and personal narrative in an engaging way. Second‑place winners included Jessica Baca for Sports Photography/Videography with “Bull Jump, ” Eddie Moore’s News Photography/Videography piece on N. M. ICE raids, and his Climate Photography work linking public lands to the local economy. Algernon D’Ammassa also earned second place in Arts & Entertainment/ Food Criticism for a piece on Adobe Deli’s unique menu. Third‑place honors went to Rick Wright for a Sports Feature titled “Back from the Precipice, ” Jessica Baca’s Photo Package about a vigil for a Rio Rancho teen, and Chancey Bush with Cathy Cook in Multimedia Story “Echoes of Fallout. ” Gillian Barkhurst received a third for Social Justice Reporting with “Not anytime soon, ” and Chancey Bush also took third in Social Justice Photography for a piece on protester removal. The Journal’s executive editor praised the team’s dedication, noting that these awards confirm the paper’s growing reputation for high‑quality journalism.