Sun brings home more awards

The Saratoga Sun continued their decades-long tradition of award winning over the weekend at the 125th Annual Wyoming Press Convention.

With a total of seven awards, Sun staff took home two first places, a second place and four honorable mentions. Entries were judged by the National Newspaper Association, which typically judges the national contest.

One of those first place awards was for Headline Writing, which has been taken home by the Saratoga Sun staff for the past several years. The judges said “The Saratoga Sun showed the greatest creativity overall.” The other first place was won by Joshua Wood in obituary writing for his column “John Lund: The Master of Reinvention.” The judges comments on this entry were “This one stood out above the field in this category. The writer let his readers know exactly why this person was special to him personally—the writing was very good and heartfelt. It read more than an ordinary obituary but a tribute to a true friend.”

The one second place award was won in business and energy reporting by Gary Honodel for his Valley business profiles. The judges said “Nice small business profiles. Lovely layouts and photos.” Also in business and energy reporting, Wood took honorable mention.

Virginia Parker won an honorable mention for her entries for arts, entertainment and culture reporting. Parker’s articles on authors Candy Moulton and Lynda Johnson as well as Chauncey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band’s appearance at the Grand Ole Opry were praised by the judges, who said “the subjects were interesting.”

Wood won honorable mention in government issue reporting, which saw first and second place go to articles on policing in Newcastle and housing crises in Sundance. Wood’s article on the Rawlins City Council’s mayor and vice mayoral elections in 2023 was called a “cool issue” by the judges. One of the judges said “I appreciate the thorough coverage revealing some behind-the-scenes drama and potential constitutional concerns.”

The final honorable mention came in photography, with Wood winning for the photo “snowball practice.” The judges said “Nice use of red hair as the color pairs nicely with the rusty box.”

The Saratoga Sun continues to compete in the small weekly category, competing against 25 other small weekly newspapers in Wyoming.