Fort Leavenworth Lamp earns awards in 2026 state journalism competition

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas - The Kansas Press Association announced April 20 that the Fort Leavenworth Lamp staff earned several awards across a variety of categories in the 2026 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence competition.

In the annual competition, the work of journalists from across the state is judged against that of their peers by members of another state's comparable press organization. The Lamp received 18 total awards: five first-place awards, five second-place awards and eight third-place awards.

This year's awards included recognition for a contributing photojournalist and two college interns.

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR, INTERN KUDOS

First Place: Sports Photo

Brian Allen, an assistant professor at the Command and General Staff College, volunteered to photograph "MCTP officer joins professional hockey teams on ice" and a few other Lamp assignments to share and explore his love of photography. His image of emergency backup goalie Capt. Micah Robbins, an operations officer with the Mission Command Training Program, sharing a moment with his 8-year-old daughter, Kennedy, at a professional hockey match earned Allen the top Sports Photo award.

"What a wonderful moment between a father and daughter," the category judge commented. "Perfectly timed, and great layered composition with the foreground, middle ground and background."

Second Place: Best Story/ Picture Combination

Lamp interns Melanie Libby, sophomore at the University of Missouri, and Emilio Gutierrez, senior at the University of Saint Mary, tackled the Command and General Staff Officer Course graduation as their first assignment together as a reporter-photographer team, resulting in a second-place award in the Best Story/Picture Combination category for single-day event coverage.

Third Place: Series

Third Place: Best Environmental Story

Two of Gutierrez's images joined those of Lamp Editor Prudence Siebert in the six-week series "Army's 250-year story told in stained glass." The photo layouts complemented weekly video releases by the Command and General Staff College Public Affairs team highlighting the Army's history depicted in the stained glass windows at the Lewis and Clark Center. The layouts earned third place in the Series category.

Libby also earned a third-place award in the Best Environmental Story category with her coverage of Girl Scout Katie Moen's Gold Award project, for which she created two pollinator gardens on post.

EDITOR RECOGNITION

First Place: Best Environmental Portrait

Siebert's photograph of sisters who were training and working together at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks placed first in the Best Environmental Portrait category. The portrait was taken in front of the USDB Headquarters building because images of the sisters working inside the prison were not allowed. Environmental portraits are necessary in such cases when candid/action images of the subjects are not possible.

First Place: Youth Story

When Siebert met with Leavenworth High School senior Elisabeth Howell to take her portrait to accompany a press release about the teenager earning the highest score possible on the ACT standardized assessment test, she quickly assessed that Howell's accomplishments deserved more extensive coverage than the short press release. The story evolved into a nearly 2,500-word article that included input from Howell's parents and swim coach and was supplemented by Lamp file photos of Howell and her family and submitted images taken during a few of her many activities. The story earned Siebert first place in the Youth Story category.

"Great subject and excellent writing," the judge commented. "Long story but well worth the reading. Photos added to the very impressive package."

First Place: Design and Layout Excellence

The Fort Leavenworth Lamp also earned a first-place award in the Design and Layout Excellence category, which is an overall evaluation of the newspaper's design, to include the use of journalistic elements like white space, fonts, graphics and photographs.

When the Lamp went to an online-only publication a few years ago, Siebert was committed providing the community, including archivists and historians, with an "old school" newspaper layout that compiled the week's coverage in one location, rather than many disappearing links, and could be easily referenced, downloaded and printed.

First Place: Best Story/Picture Combination

Second and Third Place: Religion Story

Siebert's coverage of the post's multiple congregations decorating the chapels for the Advent season earned first place in the Best Story/Picture Combination category, as well as third place in the Religion Story category.

Siebert's story "Prayer luncheon speaker asks for help to stop stigma, save lives" focused on retired Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin's National Prayer Luncheon message concerning bipolar disorder and mental illness and took second place in the Religion Story category.

Second and Third Place: Military Story

The story of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club induction of two NCOS from the 67th Military Police Detachment (Military Working Dog), Special Troops Battalion, earned Siebert a second-place award in the Military Story category, and her town hall coverage of Combined Arms Command Commanding General Lt. Gen. James Isenhower III explaining his command philosophy to the workforce earned third place in the category.

Second Place: Feature Story

"Hounds for the Holidays," about the Fort Leavenworth Hunt's foxhound kennel holiday open house, earned a second-place Feature Story award for Siebert.

"This story is fun and unexpected, a behind-the-scenes look at hunting foxhounds," the judge commented. "A good story idea, well-executed."

Second Place: Feature Photo

Third place: Photo Package

Siebert earned two awards for her photos in the "Blind horseman visits Buffalo Soldier Monument" layout, including second place Feature Photo for the main image and third place Photo Package for the full page.

"The photo immediately drew me in to learn more about the context in it," the judge wrote about the image of blind rider John H. Wooten III, better known as J.W. Wolfman Black, astride Arabian/mustang/Morgan cross Topaz, talking with George Pettigrew, executive vice president of the Alexander/Madison Chapter - Greater Kansas City/Leavenworth Area 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association, in front of the monument. "A crisp and curious shot that leaves you wanting to know more about it."

Third Place: Feature Photo

Siebert also earned third place in the Feature Photo category with her image of budding entomologist 5-year-old Colm Menge catching and studying insects on Moth Night.

"Such an interesting and unique event," the judge commented. "The photo really captures that. Great lighting."

Third Place: Feature Package

The story "Movement options for students help improve learning, behavior" explored the use of the Unified School District 207's move-to-learn practices, which combine exercise with learning, and included student testimonials. The layout with the story, photographs and boxed grant information earned Siebert a third-place award in the Feature Package category.

"A fascinating article and pictures about how certain movement activities can positively affect the behavior and studying habits of youngsters with ADHD or issues caused by moving around frequently by military families. There are lessons that can be shared with other school districts," the category judge wrote. "Great writing and pictures and interesting interviews with the children affected and aided by the techniques."

Third Place: News and Writing Excellence

The Lamp also received a third-place award in News and Writing Excellence, a category evaluating full issues of the newspaper on writing style, originality, interest and headlines.

The Fort Leavenworth Lamp is produced weekly and is posted online Thursdays at https://home.army.mil/leavenworth/about/news. Readers can check the link each week or request that a link to the new issue be delivered to their inbox by e-mailing usarmy.leavenworth.id-training. [email protected]. Reminders can also be received, and the links accessed, via the My Army Post App, which is available at Google Play and the App Store.

The Lamp welcomes event information, story ideas, photography and reporting submissions, as well as volunteer writers and interns. E-mail [email protected] if interested in contributing.