The Denver Press Club will honor Los Angeles Times journalist and columnist Steve Lopez on Friday at its 28th annual Damon Runyon Award Banquet.

Lopez, known for his New York Times bestselling novel “The Soloist,” which inspired a film by the same name starring Robert Downey Jr., will be the first Hispanic American to win the award.

Lopez is a four-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, praised by the Pulitzer Prize Board for his “purposeful columns about rising homelessness in Los Angeles, which amplified calls for government action to deal with the long-visible public crisis.”

His work has covered a variety of social challenges, digging into elder care, income inequality housing and homelessness. 

“From transformative work in Philadelphia, Oakland, and in his 22 years at The Los Angeles Times, Steve Lopez demonstrates an unparalleled prescience in tackling the issues that every community in America now talks about every day,” Denver Press Club President Marianne Goodland said.

“It’s a joy to welcome him to Denver to celebrate his significant contributions to our craft – and our communities.”

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has proclaimed “Steve Lopez Day” to be celebrated April 14 in the City and County of Denver. 

The Denver Press Club’s Damon Runyon Award banquet celebrates modern-day storytellers in the most of Damon Runyon, who won national acclaim as the author of stories in the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls.”

The Denver Press Club calls the Runyon its “highest honor,” with previous winners including Jimmy Breslin, Mike Royko, Molly Ivins and, most recently, Eugene Robinson in 2022. 

Founded in 1867, the Denver Press Club is the oldest continuously operating press club in the United States and members have included journalists, governors, senators and several U.S. presidents.