Circulation more than 75,000
142 — Spot News
First Place: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Second Place: Rick Egan, Salt Lake Tribune

143 — News Photography
First Place: Trent Nelson, Salt Lake Tribune
Second Place: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

144 — Feature Photography
Third Place: Steve “Stan” Griffin, Salt Lake Tribune

145 — Sports Photography
Third Place: Steve “Stan” Griffin, Salt Lake Tribune
Second Place: Scott Sommerdof, Salt Lake Tribune

110 Sports Feature Writing
Third Place: Stephen Dark, Erik Daenitz, Salt Lake City Weekly

116 Arts & Entertainment Reporting
First Place: Scott Renshaw and Erik Daenitz, Salt Lake City Weekly

123 Political Feature
First Place: Eric S. Peterson, Erik Daenitz, Salt Lake City Weekly

140 Multimedia Story
Second Place: Stephen Dark, Erik Daenitz, Salt Lake City Weekly

144 — Feature Photography
First Place: David Newkirk, SLUG Magazine, Precision Builds with Pangea speed

145 — Sports Photography
Second Place: Chris Swainston, SLUG magazine, for Rocky Hudson Jr.

143 — News Photography
Third Place: Jeremy Wade Shockley, Southern Ute Drum, for Dancers greet first American Airlines flight
Second Place: Jeremy Wade Shockley, Southern Ute Drum, for Museum opening 2 months away
First Place: Robert Ortiz, Southern Ute Drum, Southern Utes cut ribbon at new museum

144 — Feature photography
Third Place: Jeremy Wade Shockley, Southern Ute Drum, for Dancing and celebrating Denver powwow
Second Place: Robert, Ortiz, Southern Ute Drum, for Four Corners tribes tackle 19-mile walk
First Place: Jeremy Wade Shockley, Southern Ute Drum, for Native American Heritage Train still steaming

145 — Sports Photography
First Place: Jeremy Wade Shockley, Southern Ute Drum, State games open with basketball tournament

Full list of awards: http://coloradospj.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/top-of-the-rockies-award-winners-announced/

Here are the Utah finalists in the photojournalism categories of Top of the Rockies. Winners will be announced April 13 at the Denver Press Club…

Deseret News
Jeffery D. Allred

Salt Lake City Weekly
Erik Daenitz

The Salt Lake Tribune
Rick Egan
Steve “Stan” Griffin
Trent Nelson
Scott Sommerdorf

The Englishman by Mike Terry

Judged by Lisa Krantz

Thanks to Geoff, here’s the PDF so you can see the winners..

UPA 2011 Photo Awards

SECRET Wendover Airfield tour by Scott Sommerdorf

Judged by a famous photographer whose identity will remain anonymous. He wrote:

I looked over the lot and found plenty of worthy images. I’ve only been a photo contest judge a couple times and came to the conclusion that I’m just not qualified for the job. There are a handful of stand-outs but how do you decide?

I owe you a favor for your kindness so I’ll mow your lawn or make canapes for your next party but you’d be better off to find another judge.

However, I sure do circle back to the broken window/plane pic.

Midtown by Patrick Smith

Judged by Matt Lutton and M. Scott Brauer of DVAFOTO

UPDATE: Added some titles and names, waiting for more.

UPDATE: Names will apparently be released today.

The results of the Utah Press Association’s annual contest is the most confusing and frustrating release of winners we see every year. This year there is no exception, with added humor as the categories include sponsors:

Best Breaking News Story sponsored by Parr Brown Gee & Loveless
Best News Coverage sponsored by the Deseret News
Best News Series sponsored by Smith’s Food & Drug
Best Feature or Community Lifestyle Page sponsored by Zions Bank

Again this year, no names are listed with the winners, just their outlet. So we have no idea who the winning photographers are or what the images were. Help us try to fill in the names by leaving comments, but please don’t hold your breath. There are still a half dozen very nice plaques from 2009 collecting dust in a drawer at the office because no one knows which photographer won them.

Here now the photo results…

Best Photo Page (1st, 2nd, 3rd place)
Group 1 – The Leader, The Leader, The Eagle
Group 2 – Vernal Express, Sun Advocate, The Wasatch Wave
Group 3 – Richfield Reaper, Tooele Transcript Bulletin, The Utah Statesman

Best News Photograph
Group 1 – Southern Utah News, The Leader, The Eagle
Group 2 – Uintah Basin Standard, Vernal Express, Uintah Basin Standard
Group 3 – El Observador de Utah, Tooele Transcript Bulletin, The Park Record
Group 4 – “Angry warriors once again home” by Trent Nelson – The Salt Lake Tribune, “Crews fight two fires” The Spectrum, “Heroic sendoff” The Spectrum

Best Feature Photograph
Group 1 – Sanpete Messenger, Southern Utah News
Group 2 – Uintah Basin Standard, Vernal Express, Sun Advocate
Group 3 – The Richfield Reaper, Tooele Transcript Bulletin, The Park Record
Group 4 – “Games fuse athletics, services” The Daily Utah Chronicle, “On a cold day, time for reflection” by Steve Griffin – The Salt Lake Tribune, “Fourth of July” The Spectrum

Best Sports Photograph
Group 1 – The Eagle, Southern Utah News, The Pyramid
Group 2 – The Signpost, Sun Advocate, the Wasatch Wave
Group 3 – El Observador de Utah, The Park Record, El Observador de Utah
Group 4 – The Daily Utah Chronicle, The Herald Journal, The Daily Utah Chronicle

and because it sounds like it’s got to be a photo…

Screw-Up of the Year to the Richfield Reaper for “Headless Soccer Player”

Full List of UPA Results (XLS Spreadsheet)