Alabama Sports Writers Association Honors
Alabama Sports Writers Association honors numerous individuals and accomplishments on both an annual and career basis, as determined by its membership.
Topping that list the Hall of Fame, which celebrates and recognizes those who have excelled in the profession throughout the years, and is the organization's highest honor. A nominee must have been a full-time sports writer in the state of Alabama for at least 10 years. Full-time sports writers will include those who worked or have worked at a daily newspaper, a weekly newspaper, a wire service, an Internet service, a specialty sports publication or a magazine published in the state of Alabama.
The Association also established a Hall of Honor to recognize those individuals whose service has been instrumental to the growth and success of the ASWA, but who do not meet the criteria for Hall of Fame consideration.
The ASWA's biggest annual honors include the Herby Kirby Award for story of the year, and the Bill Shelton Award, which is a community service honor given to the top journalist in the state who excels in contributions to making the community better through journalism. Similarly, the Presidents' Award was created in 2021 to recognize someone exemplary outside of the ASWA membership, who is often outside of the spotlight.
To mark the golden anniversary of the ASWA in 2022, the organization recognized the 50 Legends of Alabama sports writing.
See Also: ASWA Athlete Awards and ASWA Bylaws and Writing Contest Rules
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Alabama Sports Writers Association Honors.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 1:26 AM.