The Desert Sun earned 32 honors at the 2024 California Journalism Awards, including 10 first-place finishes for its reporters, photojournalists and editors.
From a profile of artist Casey Niccoli — a Twentynine Palms resident whose pivotal role in shaping Jane’s Addiction’s visual identity went unrecognized for decades — to coverage of Donald Trump’s only California rally during his presidential campaign, The Desert Sun’s first-place awards honored reporting across politics, the environment, advocacy and the arts.
The winners were announced May 17 at the California News Publishers Association’s annual gala in Los Angeles, the state’s largest journalism competition recognizing work published in 2024.
The Desert Sun competed in Division 2, a category for daily newspapers and online news publishers with a print circulation between 15,001 to 50,000; monthly web traffic of 600,000 to 699,000 unique visitors; and/or 26 to 39 full-time staff members.
Top laurels were awarded in 10 categories:
Second place awards were earned in six categories:
Third place awards were given in 11 categories:
Fourth place awards were received in four categories:
In the sports action photo category, fifth place went to Jay Calderon for “ASU basketball player outmaneuvers opponents for rebound.”
The full list of winners can be found at cnpa.com.
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The Desert Sun wins 32 California Journalism Awards, including 10 first-place honors
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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