Sports editor Wade LaRoche’s action shot of Pierre Governors quarterback Alex Gray diving over the goal line in the first round of the class 11AA playoffs won first place in the sports action photo category.

Sports editor Wade LaRoche’s action shot of Pierre Governors quarterback Alex Gray diving over the goal line in the first round of the class 11AA playoffs won first place in the sports action photo category.

The Capital Journal newsroom has won 16 awards in the 2014 AP Great Plains competition, including four for first place.

The competition is among newspapers in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. The Capital Journal won more awards than any other newspaper in the small dailies category, though the newspaper in York, Neb., won more first-place awards.

The Capital Journal’s first place winners include former assistant managing editor Justin Joiner’s photo feature, “Stacked History,” a Dakota Life piece that used creative
photography to incorporate historic images into current photographs.

Sports editor Wade LaRoche’s action shot of Pierre Governors quarterback Alex Gray diving over the goal line in the first round of the class 11AA playoffs won first place in the
sports action photo category.

David Rookhuyzen’s photo of stained glass being removed from the Capitol won first place for spot news photo.

David Rookhuyzen’s photo of stained glass being removed from the Capitol won first place for spot news photo.

David Rookhuyzen’s photo of stained glass being removed from the Capitol won first place for spot news photo.

The entire news staff won first place in the enterprise category for the Capital Journal’s five-part series, “Habitat in Crisis,” examining the decline in habitat for
wildlife due to factors such as conversion of grassland to crops.

The Capital Journal also won a second-place award for its website.