BBNN wins 16 state journalism awards, including 9 first-place honors

The Black Belt News Network/Selma Sun brought home 16 awards from the 2026 Alabama Press Association Media Awards, including nine first-place honors recognizing excellence in journalism produced during 2025.

The awards were presented June 27 during the Alabama Press Association's annual convention at the Perdido Beach Resort.

The honors recognize outstanding work in categories including in-depth reporting, breaking news, multimedia, podcasting, business reporting, social media and video journalism.

The recognition comes during a year of transformation for the newsroom. After publishing its final print edition of the Selma Sun in August 2025, the editorial team shifted its focus entirely to expanding the digital Black Belt News Network, which now provides local news coverage across six counties in Alabama's Black Belt.

"Every award represents a story that mattered to the people we serve," Publisher Cindy Fisher said. "Our mission has never been to simply win awards. It's to make sure rural communities have access to trusted, meaningful local journalism that informs, connects and celebrates the Black Belt."

Among the top honors, the Black Belt News Network's Live Black Belt Newscast earned first place for Creative Use of Multimedia, while the program's companion audio show received first place for Best Podcast. The weekly Friday newscast reaches thousands of viewers through social media and marks the sixth consecutive year the program has earned a first-place award from the Alabama Press Association.

"Our newsroom has embraced new ways of reaching audiences while staying true to the fundamentals of good journalism," Fisher said. "Whether someone reads a story on their phone, watches a live broadcast or listens to a podcast, we're committed to meeting people where they are."

The newsroom also earned first place for an investigative report examining redevelopment plans for the abandoned Good Samaritan Hospital on Broad Street. The story, written by Cindy Fisher and Todd Prater, received top honors in both In-Depth News Reporting and Best Business Story.

The Selma Sun also received first place for Online Breaking News coverage of the January 2025 Walmart shooting that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. Additional reporting on youth violence was recognized with a third-place award for community correspondent Valencia Benjamin's video coverage of District Attorney Robert Turner Jr.'s presentation at RB Hudson Middle School addressing violence prevention among young people.

Benjamin becomes the second community correspondent from the Black Belt News Network's Black Belt Media Lab to earn statewide recognition, following Angela Benjamin's first-place feature writing award last year.

"One of the things that makes our newsroom unique is that we invite the community to help tell its own stories," Fisher said. "When local residents become award-winning journalists, it shows that powerful storytelling isn't limited to large news organizations. It begins with people who care deeply about their communities."

The Black Belt News Network continues to recruit Community Correspondents—citizen journalists who submit stories, photographs and videos from across the region. Anyone interested in participating can email news@blackbeltnewsnetwork.com.

"The Black Belt belongs to all of us, and so does the responsibility of documenting its history, its challenges and its successes," Fisher said. "Community journalism works best when the community itself is involved."

The newsroom also earned first place for its Selma Sun Facebook page, recognizing its efforts to engage readers through social media and expand access to local news.

This year's Alabama Press Association contest drew 1,727 entries from 51 newspapers and news organizations across the state. Entries were judged by members of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.

"As the local news landscape continues to change, these awards remind us that independent community journalism remains essential," Fisher said. "We're grateful for the readers, viewers, supporters and advertisers who believe in this work and help ensure that quality local news continues to thrive across Alabama's Black Belt."