The Alabama Press Association is partnering with the Southern Newspaper Publisher Association and the Center for Integrity in News Reporting to present the Award of Excellence with $5,000 in prize money. Judges will consider work produced in 2025, and the prize will be awarded in June 2026, as part of the APA’s annual awards. See below for more award information, including judging criteria.

To enter, APA members can submit entries via the AMA contest portal at newspapercontest.com/Alabama.

• First place: $5,000 for the journalist(s)