Saratoga Sun Wins Big

The Saratoga Sun had a record-breaking showing at the Wyoming Press Association Annual Convention in Cheyenne this past weekend.

The staff of the Sun brought home 28 Pacemaker Awards, which are awarded to individuals, and brought home three major awards. Along with taking first place for the Pacemaker Sweepstakes—which is awarded to the newspaper with the most individual awards—the Sun also brought home second place in Photographic Excellence, second place in Advertising Excellence and honorable mention in Editorial Excellence. The contest this year was judged by the South Dakota NewsMedia Association.

“Congratulations to the staff of the Saratoga Sun,” said Gary Stevenson, owner of the newspaper. “Two years ago we made some wholesale changes to the Sun and those changes are now starting to bear fruit.”

All together, the Saratoga Sun had 13 first place entries ranging from government reporting and features to photography. The Sun also earned nine second place awards and six honorable mentions.

This is the most Pacemakers the Saratoga Sun has won in recent years, setting a new record in 2020 with a total of 24 awards. This is also the most number of major awards won by the Saratoga Sun in recent memory. Across all categories, awards were earned by D’Ron Campbell, Kaitlyn Campbell, Liz Wood and Joshua Wood.

First Place In-Depth Reporting for LaVa Coverage, Liz Wood. The judges said “Very well done. This was an interesting topic to follow.

First Place Government Issue Reporting for “Planning for Saratoga’s Future,” Joshua Wood. The judges said “An in-depth series of dispatches on an important topic to the reporter’s community. The writer did a good job gathering statistics while also laying out the arguments from the various parties involved.”

First Place Outdoors-Environmental Reporting, Joshua Wood. The judges said “An enjoyable package of stories from Wood. Wood’s experience shows through his ease in writing and presenting the facts to his readers that he knows are relevant and important. Particularly, it was an interesting angle to cover the Rock Springs RMP in a way that was the most relevant possible for Saratoga. Enjoyable writing and reading.”

First Place Business-Energy Reporting, Joshua Wood. The judges said “Great, description features that still highlight the role and impacts the businesses have on the overall Valley. The Farm to table story was a great localized piece on a larger national trend.”

First Place Agriculture Reporting, Joshua Wood. The judges said “These articles effectively highlight three local business owners who serve the agricultural community. Nice work capturing their perspectives and passion for their areas of interest, particularly ‘Lost in the Leather’ and ‘Serving local, supporting local.’ Well done overall.”

First Place Obituary Writing, “A Voice for All Seasons,” D’Ron Campbell, Liz Wood and Joshua Wood. No judges comments.

First Place Headline Writing, Staff. The judges said “Headlines are consistent throughout, Not too wordy. Use of subheads to lead readers into story is used well.”

First Place Special Section or Supplement, 2024 SnoRag. The judges said “Nicely done section! I like niche publications that focus on one topic instead of a blanket ‘travel guide.’

First Place Public Service Award, “Gordon: We Need That Permanent Record,” Joshua Wood. No judges comments.

First Place First Amendment Award, “Council Gets Notice,” Kailtyn Campbell. No judges comments.

First Place General News Photo, “Student Salute,” Joshua Wood. No judges comments.

First Place Sports Action Photo, “Saddle Bronc Rider,” Liz Wood. The judges said “Fantastic moment captured. Good action and emotion. Really appreciate the horse and the dirt.”

First Place Portrait-Personality Photo, “Symphony of Color,” Kaitlyn Campbell. The judges said “The Northern Lights always amaze me, and I am a fan of silhouette photos. This one takes the prize. There’s something eerie and yet so inviting in this photo and the entry title - Symphony of color seems to say it all.”

Second Place Government-Issue Reporting, “Learn the process,” Joshua Wood. The judges said “A well-done story that explains the topic well and lets facts shine through.”

Second Place Feature Story, “Teense Willford, the Voice of the Valley,” Joshua Wood. The judges said “A very nice feature on a local icon. The reason I ranked this one higher than the other piece on Teense is because this was written while he was still alive.”

Second Place Column Writing, “Against the Grain,” Joshua Wood. The judges said “The advice to graduates and reflection on a man gone too soon are well done. Quality writing and personal coloring added to topics.”

Second Place Outdoor-Environmental Reporting, Liz Wood. The judges said “What a pleasure to read a 3-series package on the same topic. The depth of the writing and research was clear in addition to the informative interviews from Wood.”

Second Place Education Reporting, Liz Wood. The judges said “Fun reporting on hands-on learning experiences for local students.”

Second Place Arts/Entertainment/Culture Reporting, Joshua Wood. The judges said “The three stories all had solid feature leads. The evolution of Saratoga Days was described well by the concert’s co-organizer, who dreamed big and landed such acts as Lita Ford, Ned LeDoux and Neil McCoy. The tango class story was interesting in that the dancing couples spent a lot of time just stepping rather than dancing to learn the art form. The WHAT Fest story had a mini-Woodstock vibe and good accompanying photos.”

Second Place Special section or Supplement, 2024 Adventure Guide. The judges said “Strong layout, interesting/brief descriptions of special points of interest. Clean and organized. Good use of fonts.”

Second Place, Feature Photo, “Soaring in the Sun,” Joshua Wood. The judges said “Capturing motion with clarity is very difficult. This is very well-done, and the color saturation is wonderful.”

Second Place, Sports Action Photo, “Rolseth Dunk,” Joshua Wood. The judges said “Close second place. Another great moment captured. Way to catch this!”

Honorable Mention, Government Issue Reporting, “This is about water,” Kaitlyn Campbell. The judges said “Thorough reporting on a thorny and complicated issue.”

Honorable Mention, Feature Story, “A Voice For All Seasons,” D’Ron Campbell, Liz Wood and Joshua Wood. The judges said “This was a nice piece, and I was going to rate it higher, but then I came across the other piece on the same person! You each did focus on different things, though!”

Honorable Mention, Column Writing, “Just Hear Me Out,” Kailtyn Campbell. The judges said “The writer provided worthwhile insight on the topics. Quality work laying out the facts before adding commentary.”

Honorable Mention, Feature Photo, “Josh Craig,” Joshua Wood. The judges had no comments.

Honorable Mention, Portrait-Personality Photo, “Unsquashable Determination,” D’Ron Campbell. The judges said “This photo made me laugh - the young girl’s expression speaks for itself. Great job on the photographer capturing the moment.”

Honorable Mention, Best Use of Photos. The judges said “The photo pages were great.”