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Denver Post journalists recently won several awards in the prestigious “Best of the West” contest for papers in states stretching from Colorado to Alaska and Hawaii.

Former Post staff writer Eric Gorski was awarded first place in the Business and Financial Reporting category for “The Gospel of Prosperity,” a look at the finances of the Heritage Christian Center.

Judges called the series “a great example of watchdog journalism.” Gorski recently joined The Associated Press as a national religion writer.

The series “Truth Be Tolled,” which exposed how inflated-revenue estimates are used to sell toll-road projects to investors, was awarded second place in Growth and Development Reporting. The series was reported and written by staff writers Chuck Plunkett and Jeffrey Leib.

A story by assistant business editor Steve McMillan and staff writer David Olinger examining cascading failures by Xcel Energy and its suppliers in the winter of 2006 was awarded second place in Business and Financial Reporting.

In Sports Reporting, former Post staff writer Bill Briggs won second place for “Round Two,” a look at how a sparring accident changed the lives of two boxers.

Jim Sheeler of The Rocky Mountain News won first place for Long Form Feature Writing for “Wake for an Indian Warrior.” News photographer George Kochaniec Jr. won first place in News Photography for a photo of rescued hikers.

The contest, which began in 1988 and draws 2,000 entries annually from 13 Western states, is sponsored by First Amendment Funding Inc. of Arizona. The nonprofit provides money to give journalists free legal advice on questions of access to meetings and records.