Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Las Vegas Sun and sister publication honored in Best of the West

Las Vegas Sun editorial page editor Ric Anderson won second place in the Editorial Writing category in the Best of the West contest that includes newspapers, magazines and news websites in 13 states.

Anderson’s piece, “Prisoners of war are treated better than refugees at our southern border,” editorializes about awful conditions in which immigrants at U.S. border facilities are being detained. “Clear, shocking comparisons of immigrant mistreatment and Geneva Conventions,” the judge wrote. “A true eye-opening comparison that starkly demonstrates our government’s cruelty.” Other news outlets honored in the category included the San Antonio Express-News and Salt Lake Tribune.

Second place in the Page Design category was given to Las Vegas Weekly designer Ian Racoma for the magazine’s cover story, “The Heart of the City: Chinatown.”

In a very competitive category with 51 entries, “The cover story on Las Vegas’ Chinatown district is a feast for the eyes. The cover presentation clearly was thoughtfully conceived from start to finish. The styling of the main image and sophisticated layering and placement of typography makes for a succulent visual and lures the reader in,” the judge wrote.

“Once inside, the strong visual brand continues thanks to bold color choices and lively imagery. Navigational devices pull and point you in all the right directions to lead you across the pages and highlight key content. Striking visuals and big, bold, engaging page design.”

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, the contest receives about 1,000 entries a year and is open to media organizations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.