Honolulu Civil Beat won several awards in the 2015 Best of the West journalism competition.

The contest is open to the original work of journalists published in 2014 in a newspaper, magazine or news website that primarily serves the West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Here are the Civil Beat winners (see the full list of winners on the Best of the West website).

• Editorial writing, first place, Civil Beat Editorial Board for “Homeless Policy: Sand Island Camp Is a Waste of Money.”

The judge wrote, “The authors provide a well researched, clear argument about an important and well defined public policy issue.”

There were 27 entries.

• Explanatory Reporting, second place, Nathan Eagle and Bob Porterfield for the series “Pension Promises.”

The judge wrote, “Reporters painstakingly drew a picture of just how deep Hawaii’s public pension hole is – a difficult undertaking given the lack of public records and accountability surrounding the pension system. While many states and municipalities are likewise struggling with enormous pension burdens, reporters found after months of work constructing a true picture of Hawaii’s problem that in comparison, its pension problem was comparable to that of states with far larger populations and many more public employees. Great work on a topic that’s difficult to make understandable.

There were 53 entries.

• General Interest Column Writing, second place, Denby Fawcett for “A Pidgin Guide to the Fall of Abercrombie,” “For Reporters, Jihadist Wars More Dangerous Than Vietnam,” and “Domestic Violence in Hawaii.”

The judge wrote, “Hawaii’s Denby Fawcett exudes originality with regionality, a rarity in a homogenous era. She uses an enlightening smatter of Hawaiian pidgin English to explain what an incumbent governor doesn’t get about the people he serves and why he lost the election. In another column about domestic violence, she exposes a police culture of dismissing victim’s complaints and many who beat up their own spouses. In another column … she contrasts her reporting experiences in Southeast Asia with risks journalists face today in the Middle East: abductions, imprisonment, and beheadings.”

There were 22 entries.

• Growth and Environmental Reporting, third place, Anita Hofschneider and PF Bentley for the series “Promised Land.”

The judge wrote, “‘Promised Land stands out as a definitive, magazine-level exploration of a topic that is itself remarkable — the conflict between ancient tradition and modern warfare against a backdrop of tarnished beauty. The work is strengthened by visual storytelling that enlivens this ‘most bombed island in the Pacific.’ With engaging writing and presentation, ‘Promised Land’ shows how history and politics play out in the lives of people who cherish this land and of those who have exploited it.”

There were 25 entries.

• News Slideshow, third place, PF Bentley for his slideshow covering homeless people in Waikiki.

The judges wrote, “Lighting on the night scenes was nice.”

There were seven entries.