Desert Sun wins 25 California Journalism Awards, 10 for first place
The Desert Sun and its staff members received 25 honors in the California Journalism Awards, including 10 first place prizes, the California Newspaper Publisher's Association recently announced.The awards honor journalistic work published in the 2025 calendar year. The Desert Sun's honored work ranged from the paper's coverage of the May 2025 bombing that destroyed Palm Springs fertility clinic American Reproductive Centers to an in-depth look at the challenges faced by a man who has been homeless for three years in the desert. The Desert Sun also received third place in the General Excellence category.
The Desert Sun competed in Division 2 of the awards, which is open to CNPA-member newsrooms that have at least one of the following: a print circulation of between 15,001 and 50,000; between 600,000 and 699,000 unique visitors to their website each month or 26 to 39 full-time employees.
Among the other publications that received awards in that category were The Riverside Press-Enterprise, The LA Daily News and Santa Rosa's Press-Democrat.
The 10 first place awards The Desert Sun received went to:
- The Desert Sun staff in the breaking news category for the paper's coverage of the fertility clinic bombing
- Desert Sun photographers Andy Abeyta, Jay Calderon and Taya Gray in the photojournalism category for the paper's year-end "Best of the Desert Sun" photo gallery
- Reporter Jennifer Cortez in the enterprise story or series category for her stories chronicling the fallout of significant layoffs within the Coachella Valley Unified School District
- Photojournalist Taya Gray in the feature photo category for her image showing a fans' emotional reaction to seeing members of the K-pop band Blackpink walk by her at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival
- Reporter Ema Sasic in the film and tv writing/reporting category for her coverage of the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival
- Reporter Tom Coulter in the homelessness reporting category for his story on the experiences of a man who has spent years living without a home in the Coachella Valley
- Photojournalist Jay Calderon in the news photo category for his image capturing a tense confrontation between protesters and law enforcement in Los Angeles
- Photojournalist Andy Abeyta in the sports action photo category for his image of a tennis player's emotional celebration after winning a match at the BNP Paribas Open
- Reporter Tom Coulter in the transportation reporting category for his story about safety issues on Highway 74 and efforts to address them
- Reporter Jennifer Cortez in the wildfire feature coverage category for her story about Idyllwild residents reflecting on their experiences preparing for potential wildfires amid high winds
The six second place awards The Desert Sun received went to:
- Photojournalist Jay Calderon in the artistic photo category for his photo capturing the moon over mountains
- Former reporter Janet Wilson in the environment reporting category for her story on Salton City residents frustrated over a lack of government action regarding pollution at the Salton Sea
- Reporter Ema Sasic and photojournalist Taya Gray for their coverage of the then-looming closure of Blythe's Palo Verde hospital
- Former reporter Christopher Damien for his coverage of jail deaths in Riverside County and questions surrounding them
- Reporter Ema Sasic for her profile of the doctor whose fertility clinic was destroyed in the May 2025 bombing
- Reporter Paul Albani-Burgio in the tourism/travel writing reporting category for his story on the feelings of Canadian snowbirds in the Coachella Valley about President Trump's actions toward their home country
The seven third place awards The Desert Sun received went to:
- The Desert Sun staff in the General Excellence category
- Now-retired reporter/columnist Larry Bohannan for a column about a time four former presidents played a round of golf together in the Coachella Valley
- Reporter Paul Albani-Burgio in the coverage of business and the economy category for his story about ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Coachella
- Reporter Sam Morgen in the coverage of local government category for coverage of homelessness in Palm Springs
- Former editorial editor Nicky Loomis and current executive editor Kate Franco for The Desert Sun editorial about who is to blame for layoffs in the Coachella Valley Unified School District
- Reporter Paul Albani-Burgio in the housing and land-use reporting category for his story about a proposal to redevelop a large swath of land near The Empire Polo Club
- Reporter Ema Sasic in the writing category for her story about the resiliency of the staff at Palm Springs' American Reproductive Centers following the bombing of the clinic
Other 2025 CNPA awards received by The Desert Sun:
- Photojournalist Taya Gray was awarded fourth place in the wildfire photo category for her photo showing a helicopter flying over the Wolf Fire
- Reporter Brian Blueskye was awarded fifth place in the feature writing category for his story about new owners taking over legendary desert music venue Pappy & Harriet's
The full list of winners can be found at cnpa.com.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Sun wins 25 California Journalism Awards, 10 for first place
Reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 5:33 PM.