Annual Writing Contests
2008 ASWA Contest Winners
Printable Contest Rules
Best Sports Story, Writing On A Deadline, Professional Or College Event
Runner-Up
Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register
- Jimmy Johns arrested
Winner
Gareth Clary, Mobile Press-Register
- Woods' Best
Best Sports Story, Writing On A Deadline, Prep Or Other Amateur
Runner-Up
Aaron Suttles, The Tuscaloosa News
- Coach bids farewell to Tuscaloosa County High School
Winner
Ross Dellenger, The Decatur Daily
- Girls basketball team wins important regional tournament game
Best Column, 3 Columns Written In A Seven Consecutive Issue Period and Two From A Seven Day Period, Two At Large
Runner-Up
Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
- Beijing Olympics
- Nick Saban
Winner
Kevin Scarbinsky, The Birmingham News
- Auburn 's search and hiring of a new football coach
Best Football Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Bill Bryant, The Huntsville Times
- How Pat White got away
Winner
Doug Segrest, Ray Melick, Kevin Scarbinsky, Charles Goldberg, Ian R. Rapoport, Steve Irvine, Wesley Hallman, Mike Perrin and Jon Solomon, The Birmingham News
- College football recruiting: A collection of stories on the search for talent
Best Basketball Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Chris Walsh, The Tuscaloosa News
- Wendell Hudson Story
Winner
Joe Medley, The Anniston Star
- Bout with cancer takes Dion Ammons away from the sport he loves
Best Baseball Feature Without A Deadline
Co Runner-Up
Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
- Dan Mincher's baseball life is one of three acts
Co Runner-Up
Andrew Gribble, Opelika-Auburn News
- First year Auburn University baseball coach John Pawlowski's daughter, Mary Louise, has cancer. This is a story about the bravery of one 14-year-old girl and her father as they fight the deadly disease together
Winner
Jon Solomon, The Birmingham News
- Feature on the death of baseball player, Lyman Bostock, Jr.
Best Track and Field or Cross Country Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Christa Turner, The Anniston Star
- Sam Martinez will run a long way for a bobble head
Winner
Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
- Olympian Toyin Augustus – Grissom High School
Best Tennis Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Tommy Deas, The Tuscaloosa News
- Hubert Kessler Story
Winner
Ray Melick, The Birmingham News
- College tennis player coaches children in Vietnam
Best Golf Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Mike Perrin, The Birmingham News
- Junior amateur gold tournament at Shoal Creek
Winner
Chris Walsh, The Tuscaloosa News
- Golf Course Series
Best Swimming & Diving Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Evan Woodbery, Mobile Press-Register
- Auburn women's coach continues to make a splash
Winner
Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
- Olympian Margaret Hoelzer
Best Wrestling/Boxing Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
- Alabama native Deontay Wilder on his Olympic debut
Winner
Chris Walsh, The Tuscaloosa News
- Boxing with Deontay Wilder Story
Best Auto Racing Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Mark Inabinett, Mobile Press-Register
-Caution: Danger Ahead
Winner
Mark Inabinett, Mobile Press-Register
-‘Whatever It Takes'
Best Outdoors Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Mike Bolton, The Birmingham News
- A professional angler with no legs and just one arm
Winner
Mike Bolton, The Birmingham News
- UAB staff hunts snakes for research purposes
Best General Sports Feature Without A Deadline
Runner-Up
Jon Solomon, The Birmingham News
- APR scores and coaching contracts
Winner
Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
- David Kyle and his love of biking with multiple sclerosis
Best Enterprise Story
Runner-Up
Tommy Hicks, Mark Heim, Gentry Estes, Mike Herndon and Randy Kennedy, Mobile Press Register
- 3 Day Series, Renovating Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Winner
Jon Solomon, Mike Perrin, Doug Segrest, Ray Melick and Steve Irvin, The Birmingham News
- Eight part series examining issues facing the Southeastern Conference as it turns 75
Best Investigative Story
Winners
Jon Solomon and Erin Stock, The Birmingham News
- Behind the scenes examination of how controversial high school football coach became so powerful
Best Story or Series Writing - Non Daily
Best Column and/or Feature
Runner-Up
David White, Over the Mountain Journal ( Birmingham)
- Lyndsay Harris, Hoover High School girls' basketball player
Co-Winner
Todd Thompson, Madison County Record
- Bawa Muniru
Co-Winner
David White, Over the Mountain Journal ( Birmingham)
- Jarod Bryant, former Hoover High School quarterback and present Naval Academy student-athlete, football player
Best Story or Series Writing - Non-Daily
Best Game Story
Runner-Up
Shannon Fagan, Cherokee County Herald
- Cherokee County vs. Oneonta football game
Winner
Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
-Hartselle football
Headlines - Four Headlines with First Six Paragraphs Of Story Submitted
Runner-Up
Mark Inabinett, Mobile Press-Register
- No offense, Franklin fired
- Receiver works out at the “Y”
- Uncommon cold
- Clemson running game good for nothing against Tide's defense
Winner
Bran Strickland and Christa Turner, The Anniston Star
- Start of an Error
- AU Revoir – Tuberville resigns after 10 years as Auburn 's head coach
- Ready. Set. Geaux. Former LSU QB center of attention at JSU's media day
- Nelson v. 4.0
Best Sports Layout (Submitted In Triplicate)
Runner-Up
The Gadsden Times
Winner
The Birmingham News
Best Supplement or Special Edition (Four Originals Should Be Submitted)
Runner-Up
The Tuscaloosa News
Winner
The Birmingham News
Sweepstakes Award (Herby Kirby Memorial Award)
Best Story From All Categories Above
Winner
Kevin Scarbinsky, The Birmingham News
All-Time Herby Kirby Award Winners
2008 Kevin Scarbinsky, The Birmingham News
2007 Christopher Walsh and Erin Stock, The Birmingham News
2006 Christopher Walsh, The Tuscaloosa News
2005 Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times
2004 Phillip Marshall, Huntsville Times
2003 Jimmy Creed, Anniston Star
2002 Mike Bolton, Bob Carlton, Doug Segrest, Birmingham News
2001 Jimmy Creed, Anniston Star
2000 Mary Colurso, Doug Segrest and Mike Bolton, Birmingham News
1999 Tommy Hicks, Mobile Register
1998 Ted Miller, Mobile Register
1997 Richard Scott, Birmingham Post-Herald
1996 Tommy Hicks, Mobile Register
1995 Phillip Marshall, Huntsville Times
1994 Mike Marshall, Huntsville Times
1993 Mike Marshall, Huntsville Times
1992 Mike Marshall, Huntsville Times
1991 Bill Lumpkin, Birmingham Post-Herald
1990 Ray Melick/Richard Scott, Birmingham Post-Herald
1989 Wayne Martin, Birmingham News
1988 Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News
1987 Ron Ingram, Birmingham News
1986 John Pruett, Huntsville Times
1985 Bob Mayes, Huntsville Times
1984 Chuck Finder, Birmingham News
1983 Wayne Martin, Birmingham News
1982 Paul Finebaum/Roger Shuler, Birmingham Post-Herald
1981 Bill Lumpkin/Paul Finebaum/Rubin Grant, Birmingham Post-Herald
1980 Bill Lumpkin, Birmingham Post-Herald
1979 Al Browning, Tuscaloosa News
1978 John Pruett, Huntsville Times
1977 Al Browning, Tuscaloosa News
1976 Mike McKenzie, Tuscaloosa News
1975 Paul Cox - Opelika-Auburn News
1974 Wayne Hester, Anniston Star
Herby Kirby Award by Paper
Huntsville Times (9)
John Pruett 1978, 1986; Bob Mayes 1985; Mike Marshall 1992, 1993, 1994; Phillip Marshall 1995, 2004; Mark McCarter 2005
Birmingham News (9)
Kevin Scarbinsky 2008, Christopher Walsh and Erin Stock. 2007; Mike Bolton, Bob Carlton, Doug Segrest, 2002; Mary Colurso, Doug Segrest and Mike Bolton, 2000; Wayne Martin 1983, 1989; Chuck Finder 1984; Ron Ingram 1987, Kevin Scarbinsky 1988
Birmingham Post-Herald (6)
Bill Lumpkin 1980, 1991; Paul Finebaum, Bill Lumpkin, Rubin Grant 1981; Paul Finebaum, Roger Shuler 1982; Ray Melick, Richard Scott 1990; Richard Scott 1997
Anniston Star (3)
Wayne Hester 1974; Jimmy Creed 2001, 2003
Tuscaloosa News (3)
Mike McKenzie 1976; Al Browning 1977, 1979;
Mobile Press-Register (3)
Tommy Hicks 1996, 1999; Ted Miller, 1998
Opelika-Auburn News (1)
Paul Cox 1975
The Tuscaloosa News (1)
Christopher Walsh 2006
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