Awards and Honors
2024
| Award | Story | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Breaking News Coverage, 1st place, Group 4 | House Republicans bar Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr for breaching decorum | Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Mara Silvers |
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Political Coverage, 2nd place, Group 4 | A small-town reporter’s fight to open Montana’s judicial appointment process | Arren Kimbel-Sannit |
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Education Coverage, 2nd place, Group 4 | Conservative nonprofit obtains Montana textbook license | Alex Sakariassen |
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Graphic, 1st Place, Group 4 | What are Montana’s busiest highways? | Eric Dietrich |
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Feature Photo, 1st Place, Group 4 | 54th Annual Kyiyo Pow Wow | John Stember |
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Digital Presentation, 2nd Place, Group 4 | Interactive: Can you balance the state budget? | Eric Dietrich |
| Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Use of Social Media, 2nd Place, Group 4 | Trouble in the Badlands: How Glendive’s government turned on itself | MTFP Staff |
2023
| Award | Story | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Audio, Feature-Hard News, 1st place small | Bozeman is in a housing death spiral. Can local politics fix anything? | Eric Dietrich |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Audio, Health Reporting, 1st place small | The politics of death and dying | Mara Silvers |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Arts & Culture Reporting, 1st place medium | New music considers complex history of Montana’s Catholic missions | Anna Paige |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Education Reporting, 2nd place medium | ‘Survival mode’ in Lame Deer | Jill Van Alstyne |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Government & Politics Reporting, 2nd place medium | The gospel — and the GOP — according to J.D. Hall | Arren Kimbel-Sannit |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: LGBTQ+ Equity Reporting, 1st place medium | The LGBTQ-owned bookstore that rallied a community | Mara Silvers |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Series, 2nd place medium | The Montana Constitution at 50 | Eric Dietrich, Mara Silvers, Alex Sakariassen, Amanda Eggert, Chuck Johnson |
| 2022 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest: Technology & Science Reporting, 1st place medium | Common Ground, Part III: Rebuilding soil by building relationships | Emily Stifler Wolfe |
| 2023 Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Portrait Photo, 1st place, division 5 | A Bison Range homecoming | Sarah Mosquera |
| 2023 Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best News Story, 1st place, division 5 | ‘Come Home Montana’ push collides with housing angst | Amanda Eggert |
| 2023 Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Education Coverage, 2nd place, division 5 | ‘Survival mode’ in Lame Deer | Jill Van Alstyne |
| 2023 Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Website, 2nd place, division 5 | Website | MTFP Staff |
| 2023 Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Investigative Journalism, 3rd place, division 5 | Election skepticism and the search for a smoking gun | Alex Sakariassen |
| 2023 Montana Better Newspaper Contest: Best Feature Story, 3rd place, division 5 | ‘Survival mode’ in Lame Deer | Jill Van Alstyne |
| 2023 LION Awards: Product of the Year, Large Revenue Tier | 2023 Capitol Tracker | MTFP Staff |
2022
| Award | Story | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Best of the West Contest: Explanatory Reporting | Common Ground, Part I: ‘Soil is our livelihood and we better protect it, or we’re screwed.’ | Emily Stifler Wolfe & Jason Thompson |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Breaking News Coverage, 1st place division 5 | Dozens rally for parental rights, and against mask mandates | Alex Sakariassen |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Continuing News Coverage, 2nd place division 5 | How Montana got its new congressional map | Eric Dietrich |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Education Coverage, 3rd place division 5 | Republicans bring race-based education debate to Montana | Alex Sakariassen |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Feature Story, 3rd place division 5 | Growing home in Ekalaka | Eric Dietrich |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Website, 2nd place division 5 | Website | Nate Schoenfelder, Stephanie Farmer, John Adams, Eric Dietrich, Brad Tyer |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Mark Henckel Outdoor Writing Award, 1st place division 5 | Crazy Mountains at a Crossroads | Amanda Eggert |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Mark Henckel Outdoor Writing Award, 2nd Place division 5 | Trout in trouble | Amanda Eggert |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Mark Henckel Outdoor Writing Award, 3rd place division 5 | Sharing the love of the Lower Yellowstone | Amanda Eggert |
| LION Local Journalism Awards: Business of the Year | MTFP Staff | |
| LION Local Journalism Awards: General Excellence: Operational Resilience | MTFP Staff | |
| LION Local Journalism Awards: Product of the Year | 2022 Election Guide | MTFP Staff |
| Local Media Association Digital Innovation Awards: Best Reader Revenue Strategy, 3rd Place | MTFP Staff | |
| Local Media Association Digital Innovation Awards: Best Local Website, 2nd Place | Website | MTFP Staff |
| Local Media Association Digital Innovation Awards: Best COVID-19 Local Community Coverage, 3rd Place | COVID-19 Coverage | MTFP Staff |
2021
| Award | Story | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Breaking News Coverage, 3rd place division 5 | Construction site in Big Sky generates more than 100 COVID-19 cases | Johnathan Hettinger |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Continuing News Coverage, 1st place division 5 | Vacation rental data suggests visitors seeking shelter in Montana | Johnathan Hettinger |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Education Coverage, 1st place division 5 | ‘It would be nice to have some kind of a plan.’ | Mara Silvers |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best News Story, 1st place division 5 | Rural hospitals, beyond the rhetoric | Alex Sakariassen |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Best Website, 1st place division 5 | Website | MTFP staff |
| Montana Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest: Mark Henckel Outdoor Writing Award, 3rd place division 5 | Recovered to death? | Johnathan Hettinger |
2020
| Award | Story | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 SPJ Region 10 Excellence in Journalism: Audio: Government and Politics Reporting | Shared State Episode 3: ‘Grateful to God’ | Mara Silvers |
| 2020 SPJ Region 10 Excellence in Journalism: Photo and Design: Graphics and Illustration | Data Visualization | Eric Dietrich |