Journal sports editor Travis Rosenau holds up his 1st and 2nd place sports photography awards from the Minnesota Newspaper Association. Rosenau received the two awards for his photography baseball victory celebrations during the 2024 spring and summer seasons.

NEW ULM – The Journal staff received four awards at the Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) awards banquet held on Jan. 30.

The Journal received first and second place in sports photography, third place for best Community Events Coverage, and third place for General Excellence.

The awards for sports photography were awarded to Journal Sports Editor Travis Rosenau. He received both awards for photography involving baseball celebrations. The photo that garnered the first first-place award was taken following Sleepy Eye’s victory at the Legion Division 2 State Championship. The second-place photo was taken during the spring high school season after Springfield won the state championship.

“I liked all the photos I submitted to the contest, but I took the Minnesota sports fan approach and assumed I wouldn’t win anything,” Rosenau said. “Finding out I won first and second for sports photography was a pleasant surprise and an honor.”

Rosenau has worked in the Journal sports department for eight years. He said the trick of getting a great celebration photo is knowing where to stand. For a baseball game, it can be tricky.

“There is a lot of freedom to move around with baseball pictures,” he said.

The goal is to find the correct angle to capture the action. Rosenau said for a celebration photo following a big win, the best place to stand is behind home plate. That is where he was standing to capture Sleepy Eye and Springfield’s celebration pictures.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Rosenau said.

Journal staff writer Fritz Busch has worked for the paper since 2000. He has won other writing awards over the years but said the third place award for Community Event reporting will be memorable. New Ulm is no stranger to community events. One of the town’s nicknames is “The City of Festivals.” Busch received his award for covering a festival new to the community called PrinceFest.

The entire festival was dedicated to the legendary musician Prince. The festival was held in April at Turner Hall and the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. Busch covered the musical tributes at Turner Hall, Prince memorabilia at the Hall of Fame and the fans who attended the events.

“It was like nothing else I’ve ever seen,” Busch said. “There were so many Prince fans, it drew people in from all around the country.”

Busch was able to take several unique photos of the event including the release of a white dove during a performance of the Prince song “When Doves Cry.”

“It was a stroke of luck having the festival here,” Busch said. “It was such a rare thing and Prince was such a unique person. It was pretty fun too, it’s not an event I’ll forget.”

In addition to the individual award, the entire Journal staff led by News Editor Clay Schuldt received third place for General Excellence for a multi-day paper with up to 5,000 subscribers. MNA Judges praised the Journal for its readability and consistent format.

“The recognition that we received at the Minnesota Newspaper Association convention represents the hard work and dedication all the staff put in putting out the newspaper,” said Journal publisher Grant Gibbons. “I applaud the staff for their good work, and I’m glad we received this recognition.”