Behind eight awards, including four first-place honors, The Gazette finished third in Division 1 of the 2025 Society for Features Journalism Excellence-in-Features contest.

It’s the seventh time in the past eight years The Gazette has been recognized among the top three in the contest that encompasses media companies in the U.S. and Canada. Competitors in Division 1 included the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Virginian-Pilot, the Houston Chronicle, the Charlotte Observer, the Austin American-Statesman and the (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier, which earned top honors. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Washington Post claimed the top prize in Division 2 and Division 3, respectively.

Founded in 1947, the Society for Features Journalism is dedicated to promoting, honoring and celebrating the craft of features journalism. The contest recognized the best work published in 2024.

Highlights for The Gazette included first-place awards for reporters Jennifer Mulson, Stephanie Earls and Seth Boster as well as freelancer Daliah Singer. Boster received three more awards (one for second place in narrative storytelling and a pair of thirds for food feature and sports feature) and the magazine staff for Craving Colorado took third in the special product category.

Judges honored Mulson for her general commentary portfolio. Mulson writes two columns for The Gazette: Live Well and Bird Call.

“Whether the subject is a birthday trip to Sedona, a neighborhood tale of overgrown weeds or reflections on a walk through a cemetery, Jennifer Mulson writes with clarity, concision and grace,” judges said. “And her pieces are punctuated by humor.”

Earls was recognized in the general feature category for her poignant story “Shaken baby: The death and brief life of Dylan Mitchell.”

“This story combines outstanding reporting with excellent storytelling,” judges said. “There’s a bit of data journalism, too, along with informative background about this issue.”

Boster took top honors in the inclusion and representation in features category for his piece out of Pueblo titled “Finding home: The little-known story of a Black orphanage in southern Colorado.”

“This insightful story features great descriptions about a little-known subject,” judges said.

Singer, a freelancer in Denver, was honored for her food feature “Is it time for MSG to make a comeback? A new generation of Colorado chefs says yes,” which appeared in Craving Colorado.

“This is a terrific take on a controversial topic,” judges said. “The piece is well-told, with a nice use of quotes and clear, easy-to-follow explanations of the science involved. The story could have been superficial and light or too dry and science-driven. Instead, it strikes the right balance. And I learned stuff, too, which is always a bonus.”