Judges in the Nevada Press Foundation’s annual awards contest deemed this the Photo of the Year. The shot shows Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson celebrating with teammates Sept. 20, 2022, during a parade and rally for the newly crowned WNBA champions on the Strip.
Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 | 2 a.m.
The Las Vegas Sun took first-place honors for writing and photography in the Nevada Press Foundation’s annual awards contest, including photographer Steve Marcus winning Photo of the Year honors for an image he captured at the Las Vegas Aces championship parade.
Additionally, editorial cartoonist Mike Smith was honored for Editorial Cartoon of the Year. Smith, in fact, took first and second in that category.
Sun education reporter Hillary Davis was named one of the state’s Outstanding Journalists, placing third in the category.
Greenspun Media Group, publisher of the Sun, Las Vegas Weekly and Las Vegas Magazine, received a combined 17 first-place honors and nearly 50 total awards. Awards for the contest, which was judged by journalists from North Dakota, were announced last weekend.
“Myra and I are thrilled to see our great teams at the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Weekly receive this recognition,” said Brian Greenspun, the Sun’s owner, publisher and editor. “Our people exemplify the best in journalism. Every day they strive to be a vital voice to enrich the quality of life in our community. We are proud of them and honored by their service to our community.”
The Sun took first place for its coverage of underserved communities with a piece written by Managing Editor Ray Brewer on a high school basketball player who competes wearing a hijab, a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women. The teen was one of the area’s top players — a feat that the story detailed didn’t come easy because of the challenges of being a practicing Muslim and the cruel comments from others.
The Sun swept the awards in the Best Spot Sports News Story category, with Brewer winning first- and second-place for coverage of high school sports.
The first-place story was published a few days after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game and nearly died, and recalled Las Vegas High football player Edward Gomez, who died shortly after making a jarring tackle in 2003.
“The storytelling and structure of this piece was phenomenal and the accommodating art complements the writing well. I always enjoy stories that can connect a local angle with a national headline, and this one did the trick for me,” a judge said of the Gomez story.
The second-place story looks at the brutal beating of a high school basketball official, and Assistant Sports Editor Case Keefer took third place for a piece on the Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.
Brewer also took second place for Best Sports Column, and Keefer took third for Best Sports Feature.
The Sun was also recognized for coverage of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who during his campaign refused to speak with the newspaper and banned Sun reporters and photographers from covering events, including his victory speech.
Lombardo was so unhappy with the newspaper’s coverage that he set his sights on shutting down the newspaper, with the Sun obtaining a text message he sent to an acquaintance who was detailing his new media company. “Maybe start by putting Brian Greenspun out of business,” Lombardo messaged in reply.
The Sun was awarded second place in the Freedom of the Press category, with judges saying “good use of a single quote (putting the newspaper out of business) to really dive into the background on a shady character. Nice reporting.”
The Sun also took second place for political enterprise reporting for a story about Nevada Republicans singing the praises of a fake elector ploy to keep then-President Donald Trump in office until they were asked about the failed strategy under oath.
“This article was filled to the brim with sourced information and objective journalism,” judges said.
Sun photographer Wade Vandervort took second place for news coverage photo and third place for photo essay. For Las Vegas Weekly, Vandervort won first-place awards for photo essay and portrait.
The Sun’s Katie Ann McCarver took second place in the Best Profile category for a profile on Beatrice Dyess, the first Black female officer for Metro Police. And the Sun’s Grace Da Rocha took third place in Entertainment News for a story about graffiti at the Seven Magic Mountains attraction.
The Sun additionally took second place for Best Overall Design and Best Editorial Page, and third place for Best Editorial Writing.
