Since 2021, when The Santa Fe Way launched, Todd R. Vogts has been working for the monthly newspaper serving the Canton and Galva communities. He produces feature stories occasionally and pens a column for each issue.
On June 5, his writing earned state-wide recognition.
He won second place in the Division II Column Writing and second place in the Division II Senior Story feature writing contest as part of the “Awards of Excellence” competition hosted by the Kansas Press Association.
“Todd is a talented writer, and I always email him compliments on his well-written and thought-out columns,” Santa Fe Way publisher Leslie Manning said.
The awards were announced during the 2026 KPA Convention, held June 4-5 in Hutchinson.
“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 seems crazy to be among those winners. I don’t feel worthy, but I am incredibly grateful for the recognition.”
Manning entered Vogts into the contest, which made the results a surprise for him.
“Though I knew she would probably enter some of my work, I had no idea what pieces she had selected,” he said. “When I found out I had won something, especially in Senior Story, I was shocked and elated.”
According to the contest rules, entries into the writing contests had to be published in 2025, and they competed against other newspapers of a similar size. Since the Santa Fe Way competed in Division II, it went up against other newspapers with a circulation of 601-1,000.
For Column Writing, an entry had to consist of three columns produced during the prescribed calendar year. Vogts’s entry included the following pieces (a combined PDF of the published columns can be viewed here):
- Advances in nuclear fusion illuminate possible clean energy future (Jan. 3, 2025)
- Clawback of federal funding for public media damages communities, democracy (Aug. 1, 2025)
- Ponder the penny’s power when purchasing presents this year (Dec. 5, 2025)
On the Senior Story front, Vogts’s winning entry was:
- Victorian Tea and Treasures to close, ending 42 years of Cheryl Everhart owning a business on Canton’s Main Street (Dec. 5, 2025)
“The Santa Fe Way was lucky to have him write a few stories for the newspaper in 2025, and I am glad the judges thought his story on the tea house deserved an award,” Manning said.
Vogts expressed gratitude for Manning’s kind words and support.
“I so appreciate Leslie entering me in this contest every year,” he said. “I was proud of that Senior Story, so it’s nice to see it included. And she did an excellent job of choosing a range of pieces that showcase the different types of topics I tackle with my column.”
Even if he hadn’t won anything, though, Vogts said he values Manning, whom he considers a friend and a mentor.
“It’s awesome that 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.”
This was the third year Vogts won KPA awards for writing published by the Santa Fe Way, which just celebrated five years of operation.
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