Sun picks up three awards in AP contest

Thursday, March 22, 2007 | 7:08 a.m.

Las Vegas Sun

A reporter and two photographers from the Las Vegas Sun have won awards in the Associated Press' annual contest for news writing and photography at newspapers in Nevada and California.

Education reporter Emily Richmond and photographers Sam Morris and Tiffany Brown will be honored April 27 in Anaheim, Calif., for work published last year.

The Sun's awards, announced Wednesday, are the only ones in the AP contest won by any newspaper in Southern Nevada.

Richmond, who has been at the newspaper for nearly six years, won first place in the feature writing category for "The Recruiter," the story of a Clark County school principal who was ill-equipped to compete with educators from other school districts to recruit science teachers.

Morris earned first place honors in sports photography for "Daddy's OK," which showed a battered mixed martial arts fighter Mark Coleman comforting his visibly distressed young daughters . Morris, who has been with the Sun for eight years, previously won four major awards for the same photo.

And Brown, who has been with the paper for about a year, placed second in sports photography for "Bodybuilders," a photo showing competitors flexing their muscles at the Mister Olympia contest.

Only first and second places are awarded in each category and Sun photographs took both places for sports photography.