Out There wins regional awards

Willow Belden (left) and Jordan Wirfs-Brock (right) attended the Top of the ROckies awards ceremony at the Denver Press Club Friday, where the awards were announced.

We're delighted to announce that Out There has won two awards from the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

"From the Horns of Beetles," an episode about animal weapons and warfare, won second place for science reporting. And the show took third place for general broadcast excellence.

The award for broadcast excellence was determined on the basis of three stories: "High on Failure" by Jordan Wirfs-Brock, "When a Thru-Hike Falls Through" by Erin Jones, and "A New Identity" by Willow Belden.

The awards were announced Friday at the Denver Press Club. They are part of the Top of the Rockies contest, which honors journalists from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

These awards aren't the show's first; last year, Out There won second place for best independently produced podcast from PRNDI, a national association of public radio journalists.

We're thrilled to be receiving recognition from respected colleagues around the country, and are so proud of all the freelance producers we've been working with, who make the show what it is.