For the second year in a row, Todd Vogts brought home hardware in the “2024 Awards of Excellence” competition hosted by the Kansas Press Association.
On June 7, his writing earned third place in the Division II Column Writing contest as part of the KPA’s contests.
The awards were announced during the 2024 KPA Convention, held June 6-7 at the Oread Hotel in Lawrence.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the KPA and other journalists for the work I do,” Vogts said. “Honestly, it was a bit surreal. Many news outlets and journalists I respect also received awards, so it seemed crazy to be among those winners. I don’t feel worthy, but I am incredibly grateful for the acknowledgment.”
Santa Fe Way publisher Leslie Manning entered Vogts into the contest based on submission suggestions he made. Manning also entered columns she wrote and those written by another writer she employs at her other publication, The Spotlight.
“She placed first, I placed second, and you placed third,” Manning said when telling Vogts about the contest results. “My newspapers swept the column writing category!”
According to the contest rules, an entry into the column writing contest had to consist of three columns written during 2023.
Vogts’s entry included the following pieces:
- Be a quitter in 2023 to improve quality of life (Jan. 6, 2023)
- Patriotic holiday provides opportunity to understand First Amendment, other rights (July 7, 2023)
- Heinous attack on free press demonstrated by Marion County Record raid (Sept. 1, 2023)
According to KPA Executive Director Emily Bradbury, Kansas journalists entered the contest in 75 different categories across seven divisions determined by circulation size.
Even if he hadn’t won anything, though, Vogts expressed gratitude for Manning.
“I just think it’s awesome she thinks enough of my writing to even enter it, and I am thankful for the opportunity to write. I love producing my column, and I hope the readers enjoy what I have to say each month,” he said. “More importantly, though, I’m thrilled that she does her part to keep community journalism alive. It is so important, and my hometown deserves to have its history recorded by a local news outlet.”
Since 2021 when The Santa Fe Way launched, Vogts has been writing a column that appears in each issue of the newspaper, which comes out monthly and serves the Canton and Galva communities.
“I hope to continue working with Leslie for as long as she’ll have me. Journalism is thriving in the Canton and Galva communities and throughout the state,” he said. “I’m honored to be a part of it, and I hope people continue to support the news.”
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