CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman Tribune earned 39 total honors in the 2026 Alabama Press Association Media Awards and related awards program, including 17 first-place awards, General Excellence and the inaugural Alabama Center for Integrity in News Reporting Award of Excellence.
Awards were announced during the 2026 APA Summer Convention. The annual contests were judged by members of the Pennsylvania News Media Association.
The APA editorial contest included 51 publications and 1,727 entries. The magazine contest included 22 publications and 468 entries. The advertising contest included 23 publications and 484 entries.
The Tribune, Community Matters and Cullman Today were recognized across editorial, digital, magazine and advertising categories.
The awards included honors for public service, local news coverage, investigative reporting, open-government reporting, digital presentation, podcasting, video, special sections, advertising and magazine work.
The Tribune received the Center for Integrity in News Reporting Award of Excellence for its “Hanceville Police Department Investigation Series.” The series was credited to Lauren Estes, Noah Galilee, Nick Griffin and W.C. Mann.
The award, presented for the first time in Alabama, was created through a partnership among the Alabama Press Association, the Southern Newspaper Publisher Association and the Center for Integrity in News Reporting. According to APA, the award recognizes work produced in 2025 and includes a $5,000 first-place prize.
“This is a humbling achievement because it speaks directly to why local journalism matters,” said Noah Galilee, publisher of The Cullman Tribune. “This work is not about taking sides. It is about following procedures, reviewing records, asking questions, giving all sides the opportunity to respond and keeping our opinions out of the reporting. That process is what allows legitimate news coverage to stand on facts instead of assumptions.”
The Tribune’s Hanceville investigation also won first place in the FOI-First Amendment Award category. That entry was credited to Lauren Estes, Nick Griffin, W.C. Mann and staff.
Among The Tribune’s top overall honors were first place for General Excellence, first place for Best Local News Coverage, first place for Best Public Service, first place for Best Newspaper Website and first place for Best Production and Printing. The Tribune also placed second in Most Improved.
“General Excellence and Most Improved are signs of progression, but they are also reminders of the responsibility that comes with this work,” Galilee said. “Journalism is facts, figures, accuracy, accountability and fairness. Awards are appreciated, but the real goal is to continue earning the trust of readers by staying unbiased and doing the work the right way.”
The Cullman Tribune accounted for 33 of the 39 honors. Community Matters earned five honors, and Cullman Today earned one.
The Cullman Tribune earned the following honors:
- Center for Integrity in News Reporting Award of Excellence for “Hanceville Police Department Investigation Series,” credited to Lauren Estes, Noah Galilee, Nick Griffin and W.C. Mann
- General Excellence, first place
- Most Improved, second place
- Best Newspaper Website, first place, for www.cullmantribune.com, credited to Dustin Isom, Wendy Sack and Chasady Woods
- Best Production and Printing, first place, credited to Dustin Isom
- Best Public Service, first place, for “Debate Series: Expanding Civic Engagement Through Social Media,” credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and Janet Chandler
- Best Local News Coverage, first place, credited to staff
- Best Spot News Story, first place, for “Grand jury calls for abolition of Hanceville PD; 6 arrested,” credited to Lauren Estes and Nick Griffin
- Best Editorial, first place, for “The Cost of Chaos, blogs, livestreams and the erosion of local news,” credited to Noah Galilee
- Best Editorial, third place, for “Hope as the Next Step,” credited to Noah Galilee
- Best Human Interest Column, first place, for “Woe to Little Eyes,” credited to Gauge Day
- Best Humorous Column, third place, for “Rudolph – an exclusive interview,” credited to Joe Hobby
- Best Local Sports Column, first place, for “How do you get your football?” credited to Bill King
- Best Local Sports Column, second place, for “The Olympics for older athletes,” credited to Bill King
- Best Spot News Photo, third place, for “Fairview High School hosts Centennial Celebration,” credited to Lauren Estes
- FOI-First Amendment Award, first place, for “Hanceville Police Department Investigation Series,” credited to Lauren Estes, Nick Griffin, W.C. Mann and staff
- Best Editorial Page or Section, third place, credited to staff
- Best Lifestyle/Family Pages, third place, credited to staff
- Best Use of Photographs/Editorial Content, third place
- Best Niche Publication – Newsprint or Glossy, first place, for “Celebrating 150 Years”
- Creative Use of Multimedia, second place, for “Bedtime Stories – Debra Reynolds reads The Marvelous Now,” credited to Dustin Isom and Debra Reynolds
- Best Podcast Series, second place, for “Bedtime Stories,” credited to Dustin Isom, Janet Chandler and community members
- Best Use of Video, shorter than 2 minutes, second place, for “School bus hero – Colby Adams prevents a tragic accident,” credited to Anabelle Howze
- Best Use of Video, shorter than 2 minutes, third place, for “Half Shell Oyster House,” credited to Anabelle Howze
- Best Use of Video, longer than 2 minutes, third place, for “Debate Series Livestream – City Council Place 1,” credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and Janet Chandler
- Best Classified Page or Section, third place, credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and Janet Chandler
- Best One Time Special Section – Newsprint or Glossy, second place, for “Football Fanatics,” credited to Janet Chandler, Dustin Isom and Noah Galilee
- Best Classified Display Ad, first place, for “Dental Office Help Wanted,” credited to Janet Chandler and Dustin Isom
- Best Classified Display Ad, second place, for “Manager Help Wanted,” credited to Janet Chandler and Dustin Isom
- Best Classified Display Ad, third place, for “Logistics Help Wanted,” credited to Janet Chandler and Dustin Isom
- Best Niche Publication, second place, for “Football Fanatics,” credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and Janet Chandler
- Best Presentation of Online Advertising, first place, for www.cullmantribune.com, credited to Janet Chandler, Dustin Isom and Noah Galilee
- Online Revenue Builder, third place, for “CullmanTribune.com - Subscribe to The Cullman Tribune,” credited to Janet Chandler and Dustin Isom
Community Matters earned the following honors:
- Best Regularly Scheduled Special Section – Newsprint or Glossy, first place, for “November Community Matters,” credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and Janet Chandler
- Best Photo Essay, first place, for “Following the magic of the Oregon coastline,” credited to Sherry Brown
- Best Individual Website, third place, for www.cullmantribune.com/cullman-community-matters-magazine, credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and staff
- Best House Ad or Self-Promotion, third place, for “Subscribe Today,” credited to Dustin Isom
- Best Social Media Page, second place, credited to Dustin Isom, Noah Galilee and staff
Cullman Today earned the following honor:
- Best Podcast Series, first place, for “Cullman Today,” credited to Dustin Isom, Anabelle Howze and Christine Wiggins
Galilee said the range of categories represented shows the work being done across the organization.
“These awards reflect a lot of people doing a lot of different work, often behind the scenes,” Galilee said. “News, design, printing, video, podcasts, photography, advertising, magazines and digital presentation all matter. None of this happens because of one person. It happens because people care enough to keep pushing the work forward.”
The Tribune thanked its readers, advertisers and community partners for their continued support.
“We are grateful to the readers who hold us accountable, the advertisers who make local journalism possible and the people who trust us with their stories,” Galilee said. “That trust is something we have to earn every day.”
