The Southern Ute Drum garnered numerous awards for outstanding photography and journalism in 2018 from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). Our newspaper joined the SPJ association in 2011, and has continued to earn journalistic accolades in the years since.

The newest member of our news team — McKayla Lee, Reporter/Photographer for the Southern Ute Drum, brought home a Third Place award in News Photography for “Ute voices, tribal histories shared in Denver,” covering History Colorado’s “Written on the Land: Ute Voices, Ute History” exhibit.

The Southern Ute Drum’s dedicated coverage of the Tri-Ute Games Tribal Fair brought home two more photojournalism awards for the newspaper. Public Relations Coordinator Trennie Collins earned Second Place in Feature Photography, for “Horsing Around” covering the equestrian aspects of Ignacio’s Tribal Fair.  Newspaper Editor, Jeremy Wade Shockley garnered a Third Place in sports photography for “Ute Archers” for coverage of the annual Tri-Ute Games.

Former Southern Ute Drum reporter, Maria Rivera earned Second Place in Business: General Reporting for her article on a local boxing gym, titled “Ring in 2018 like a champ.”

The Southern Ute Drum competes in its circulation class, listed as newspapers under 5,000 copies per print. Never-the-less, our publication competes in SPJ’s Region 9, which is comprised of newspapers and magazines across Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.

The Top of the Rockies award reception was held in Denver, Friday May, 3 at the historic Denver Press Club on Glenarm Place, a small brick building dating back to 1925, and subsequently listed on the city’s historic registry.