The Denver Press Club annually awards scholarships to deserving journalism and communications students attending Colorado colleges and schools. The scholarships are administered with the assistance and help of The Denver Foundation , Colorado’s oldest community organization. You can donate directly to support the Press Club scholarships through the Foundation .
The application form is available from the Foundation. The application deadline varies each year but is typically in the late fall. Winners are recognized at the Club’s annual Damon Runyon Award banquet in the spring of the following year.
In 2019, Club leadership named the overall winning scholarship — and the top monetary award — for John C. Ensslin, a longtime Club member who died in August 2019. The scholarship had previously been named for longtime NBC Meet the Press anchor Tim Russert, a former Damon Runyon Award winner.
Below is a list of all of our winners over the year. If you have information you would like to add, please contact us .
2020 NAME SCHOOL HOMETOWN AMOUNT Samantha Sanson Colorado College Littleton, CO $3,000 Elias Born Colorado Mesa U. Evergreen, CO $1,500 Brooke Buchan CSU Fort Collins Westminster, CO $1,500 Bailee Campbell U. of Northern Colorado Paonia, CO $1,500 Heather Davis MSU Denver Lakewood, CO $1,500 Melanie Mau CSU Pueblo Colorado Springs, CO $1,500 Robert Tann CU Boulder Aurora, CO $1,500 Isaac Vargas DU Aurora, CO $1,500 Joy Webb CU Colorado Springs Delta, CO $1,500
2019 Name School Hometown Amount Megan Webber MSU Denver $3,000 Grace Carson DU $1,500 Chris Churilla CSU Pueblo $1,500 Emma Iannacone CSU Fort Collins $1,500 Hannah Metzger CU Boulder Aurora, CO $1,500 Ben Shumate U. of Northern Colorado $1,500 Matt Thornton Colorado Mesa U. $1,500
2018 Name School Amount Miriam “Mimi” Madrid MSU Denver $2,000 Jackson Barnett CU Boulder $1,000 Will Costello U. of Northern Colorado $1,000 Laura Huwa Colorado Mesa U. $1,000 Nevin Fowler CSU Fort Collins $1,000 Ashley Schaerfl CSU Pueblo $1,000 Leah Swander DU $1,000
2017 Name School Hometown Amount Erin Douglas CSU Fort Collins Parker, CO $1,500 Ellis Arnold CU Boulder Aurora, CO $750 Ashleigh Hollowell CSU Pueblo Woodland Park, CO $750 Jacquiline Palizzi U. of Northern Colorado Thornton, CO $750 Jillian Queri DU Park City, UT $750 David Schaut MSU Denver Highlands Ranch, CO $750
2016 Name School Connor Davis DU Sarah Knuth CSU Pueblo Alyson McClaran MSU Denver Keegan Pope CSU Fort Collins Sam Schanfarber CU Boulder Dylan Sanchez U. of Northern Colorado
2015 Name School Elizabeth Hernandez CU Boulder Joe Fries DU Jacob Scott U. of Northern Colorado Robert “Tony” White MSU Denver Christy Wiabel CSU Pueblo Kate Winkle CSU Fort Collins
2014 Name School Hometown Biz Gilmore U. of Northern Colorado Kara Mason CSU Pueblo Pueblo, CO Mary Isabel McCan DU Anne Lorraine Melton CU Boulder Dillon Thomas CSU Fort Collins Aurora, CO Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko MSU Denver
2013 Name School Caryn Maconi CU Boulder Jaidree Bradix U. of Northern Colorado Thomas Austin Briggs CSU Fort Collins Jason Cowan CSU Pueblo Anna Gauldin DU Lauren Lechner MSU Denver
2012 Name School Steve Coulter DU John S. Gleason Jr. MSU Denver Matt Miller CSU Fort Collins Amanda Moutinho CU Boulder Dalton Ries CSU Pueblo Ben Welch U. of Northern Colorado
2011 Name School Parker Cotton U. of Northern Colorado Deidre Helton DU Kelly Lane CU Boulder Ye “Charlotte” Ming CSU Pueblo Alyssa Christine Serres MSU Denver Alexandra Sieh CSU Fort Collins
2010 Name School Andrea Carlson MSU of Denver Emery Cowan CU Boulder Aaron Hedge CSU Fort Collins Arianna Ranahosseini DU Mitchell Woll U. of Northern Colorado
2009 Name School Sara Castellanos DU Teresa Dupuis CSU Pueblo Joshua Espinoza U. of Northern Colorado Mike Martinez MSU Denver Joshua Middleton CSU Fort Collins Brandon Springer CU Boulder
2008 Name School Bryce Evans DU Anna Haislip CU Boulder Erin Lamber U. of Northern Colorado Amy Piazza MSU Denver Eric Salagovic CSU Pueblo
2007 Name School Amount Kari Craig CU Boulder $1,000 Ian Chambers CSU Fort Collins $250 Jeremy Johnson MSU Denver $250 Kara Lyons DU $250 Erik Myers U. of Northern Colorado $250 Zach Thompson CSU Pueblo $250
2006 Name School Beth Burkey CU Boulder Erin Conroy DU J.P. Eichmiller CSU Fort Collins Ryan Maier CSU Fort Collins Frank Oteri CSU Pueblo Andy Rosenthal U. of Northern Colorado Erin William MSU Denver
2005 Name School Jackie Craddock CSU Pueblo Kristin Kunz DU Michael Lawrence CU Boulder Ian Neligh MSU Denver John Teeten CSU Fort Collins Heath Urie U. of Northern Colorado
2004 Name School Brittany Anas CU Boulder John Brandstetter U. of Northern Colorado Amy Denning MSU Denver Taylour Nelson CSU Fort Collins Katie Niekirk DU
2003 Name School Hometown John Crane MSU Denver Meg Green U. of Northern Colorado Alberto Mares DU Alicia Wallace CU Boulder Dominic Weilminster CSU Fort Collins Arvada, CO
2002 Name School Matt Chiabotti DU Heather Mundt CU Boulder Valerie Singleton MSU Denver Maria Sanchez Traynor CSU Fort Collins Amy Weimer U. of Northern Colorado
2001 Name School Jon Ackerman U. of Northern Colorado Adam Buchanan MSU Denver Kendra Fish CSU Fort Collins Mariah Furness DU Brady McCombs CU Boulder
2000 Name School Anna Brower DU Karen Crummy CU Boulder Kevin Darst CSU Fort Collins Kristen Hergenrender U. of Northern Colorado Tanya Sierra del Rio MSU Denver
1999 Name School Amount Allison Sherry CSU Fort Collins $1,000
1998 Name School Anna Brower DU Brett Nelson U. of Northern Colorado Kerry Pohlman CSU Fort Collins Tim Skillern CU Boulder Lori Spitzer MSU Denver
1997 Name School Kelly Kennedy Bogdanowicz CSU Fort Collins Aaron Brotherson U. of Northern Colorado Chad Lingwood CU Boulder Stephen Parker DU Christine Richardson MSU Denver
1995 Name Joel Cantalamessa Alex Hill Sandi Sanders
1994 Name School Amount Steve Boland CU Boulder $1,000 Lisa Opsahl
1992 Name School Amount Michelle Doyle CSU Fort Collins $1,000 Dave Harrell U. of Southern Colorado $300 Chris Hunt Western State College $300 Kim Diercks MSU Denver $100 Steve Francis U. of Northern Colorado $100 Dave Lowe Regis U. $100 Ian Olgeirson CU Boulder $100 Jill Pommrehn DU $100 Kay Stack CMU $100
1991 Name School Amount Todd Burgess MSU Denver $1,000 Steve Lowry CMU $300 Woody Mitchell U. of Colorado $300 Julie Collins CSU Fort Collins $100 Christopher Henning DU $100 Roy Wayne Nall Western State College $100
1989 Name School Amount Timothy Hyland U. of Northern Colorado $100
1985 Name School Hometown Amount Darlene Fouquet MSU Denver Denver, CO $650 Jessica Snyder MSU Denver Denver, CO $650 Kevin Vaughan MSU Denver Northglenn, CO $650
1972 Name School Hometown Amount William Hobbs U. of Colorado Durango, CO $457.30
1971 Name School Hometown Bruce M. Curley CSU Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO Joseph P. Weigel Aurora, CO
1969 Name School Lynda D. Lawrence U. of Colorado
1968 Name School Sandra L. Michel U. of Colorado
1966 1960 Name School Amount Edward W. Hering U. of Colorado $212
1959 Name School Jack K. Holley U. of Colorado
1957 Name School Amount Byron “Bus” Tarbox U. of Colorado $200
