El Paso journalists won more than 40 awards in the annual contest by Texas Managing Editors, which were announced over the weekend at the organization’s conference in Temple, Texas.

El Paso Matters won third place in Newsroom of the Year, which is the sweepstakes award for performance in all categories. It marked the first time an online-only and nonprofit news organization was recognized in the Newsroom of the Year competition – all previous winners were traditional print newspapers.

El Paso Matters competed in Class AA, which includes Texas news organizations that have print publications four or more times per week, or web-only organizations with nine to 19 full time journalists.

Claudia Lorena Silva, who reports on K-12 education, received second-place awards for specialty reporting and star investigative report of the year, and third place for star online package of the year.

The investigative and online awards recognized her project on the rapid increase in vaping arrests in El Paso schools.

Corrie Boudreaux, a freelance journalist and faculty member at the University of Texas at El Paso, received second-place awards for photojournalism and star photojournalist of the year.

Both awards recognized her photography of the quinceañera of Karina García, whose father was among the 23 people killed in a 2019 mass shooting in El Paso.

Reporter Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, the writer on the quinceañera project, received second place in both feature writing and the Michael Brick Storytelling Award for that work.

Other awards for El Paso Matters

Angela Saavedra, second in community service, for creating and producing the El Paso Matters Book Club.

Cindy Ramirez, third place in specialty reporting, for her work about El Paso’s response to migration.

Victoria Rossi, third place in freedom of information, for her efforts to obtain records about the mistreatment of women officers at the El Paso Police Department.

El Paso Matters staff, third place in team effort, for coverage of Proposition K and other issues in the May 2023 elections.

Robert Moore, honorable mention in star investigative report of the year, for his reporting on efforts by a University of Texas at El Paso program administrator to create research positions for two controversial former Border Patrol officials.

Nacho L. Garcia Jr., honorable mention for infographics for courtroom sketches from the sentencing hearing for the gunman in the 2019 racist mass shooting in El Paso.

Richard Yáñez, honorable mention in comment and criticism for his review of the book “¡Ándale, Prieta! A Love Letter to My Family,” by El Paso author Yasmín Ramírez.

El Paso Times

The El Paso Times, which also competed in Class AA, won first place in Newsroom of the Year.

Photographer Omar Ornelas was among the most decorated journalists in the statewide contest, winning first place in star photojournalist of the year in the competition category, and also winning the Charles E. Green Award from the Headliners Foundation of Texas as top photojournalist in all competing Texas news organizations.

Ornelas also won first place in photojournalism and first and second place in news photography, as well as third place in sports photography. 

Reporter Lauren Villagran won first place in specialty reporting and star reporter of the year, and third place in star investigative report of the year.

Other El Paso Times winners

• Villagran, Ornelas, Aline Simerman, Rafael Carranza and Daniel Gonzalez, first place in community service and first place in team effort.

• Villagran and Daniel Borunda, first place in star breaking news report of the year and second place in breaking news reporting.

• Villagran, Ornelas and Simerman, second place in star online package of the year.

• Boudreaux and Ornelas, first place in feature writing.

• Vic Kolenc, second place in business reporting.

• Gaby Velasquez, third place in both feature photography and video.

• Aaron Martinez, third place in breaking news reporting,

• Bret Bloomquist, honorable mention in sports column writing.

El Paso Inc.

El Paso Inc. competed in Class A, for news organizations with print publications three or fewer times per week or online-only news organizations with nine or fewer journalists.

• Reyes Mata, first place in specialty reporting and second in feature writing.

• Sara Sanchez and Robert Gray, first in business reporting.

• Luis Rios, second in business reporting.

• Victor R. Martinez, second in comment and criticism.

• Steve Kaplowitz, second in sports column writing.

• Cosima Rangel, honorable mention in feature photography.

• Steve Escajeda, honorable mention in sports feature.

Texas Managing Editors is a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in journalism, provides professional development, oversees the annual statewide contest and provides internship scholarships to student journalists.