Bulletin, Desert Exposure win state press awards

The Las Cruces Bulletin and sister publication Desert Exposure came away with a total of nine awards in the New Mexico Press Association’s 2024 Better Newspaper Contest.

The awards were announced during the NMPA’s annual convention in Albuquerque on Saturday, Oct. 26, and covered categories in news reporting, design and typography for print and digital publication. The contest judges were members of the Nevada Press Association.

Staff of Desert Exposure, a monthly publication covering arts, entertainment and culture in southern New Mexico, secured first place for front page design, with judges writing of three editions that were considered, “Outstanding front page designs. High-quality photos, and a really cool illustration of a newly discovered dinosaur species, combine with bold colors, pleasant fonts and smart placement to create three eye-catching covers.”

Staff designer Matthew Meerbott also netted a first place award for color ad design for Desert Exposure in the monthly category.

The Las Cruces Bulletin competed in the “weekly class I” category based on its circulation, putting it in competition with papers such as the Taos News, Gallup Sun, Valencia County News-Bulletin and the Rio Grande Sun. Nearly all of the Bulletin’s second place finishes came in behind Taos News, which claimed more than 30 awards including the general excellence award in its class.

One award the Bulletin wrested away from Taos News was the first place award for best web ad. That was for an animated online ad for the Las Cruces International Film Festival designed by staff designer Matthew Meerbott and featuring cinema curtains opening onto the festival logo, of which judges said, “Love the idea! This was a creative execution that also did not take away from the reading experience nor district readers from your content.”

Staff designers Meerbott and Christy Anchondo also claimed second place for design and typography, the duo earning judges’ praise for “creative thinking” in making “mundane imagery into something more engaging that it otherwise would be.”

Bulletin staff earned a second place nod for best website, with judges calling LasCrucesBulletin.com “clean and well organized. It places a priority on editorial content and has fewer intrusive ads than some other news websites.”

Judges also gave the Bulletin second place for best special section published in April for the 40th annual Home and Garden Show in Las Cruces.

Reporters Justin Garcia and Algernon D’Ammassa won second place for best use of multimedia, for their coverage of a May 9, 2024 protest on the New Mexico State University campus and arrest of 13 people, including live updates on LasCrucesBulletin.com and X (the social media site formerly known as Twitter), reporting the story through print, photography and video. Judges wrote, “Good variety of images and video, good job by the reporter to show the actual scale of the protest and actions taken by police.”

Garcia claimed second place for best series, awarded to his two-part story in April covering threats to elected officials in New Mexico.

A story from D’Ammassa featuring an interview with state Sen. Bill Soules last March about New Mexico’s revised graduation requirements won second place in education writing, for which judges cited a “thought-provoking message about the goals of education from a legislative perspective. The writing was clear, quotes were well-chosen, and the focus on expectations for graduation outcomes is a must in the beat.”

“I am very proud of our incredible Bulletin team,” Bulletin and DeX publisher Belinda Mills remarked. “Hard work, dedication and an unwavering commitment to excellence is evident in every undertaking throughout the Bulletin organization.  We take our responsibility to the Las Cruces community seriously and strive to inform and inspire with truth and style. I am happy we have the opportunity to celebrate our team with the recognition they deserve.”