Honoring excellence in editorial writing has been the goal of the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize, presented for many years by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. Beginning in 2022, this award will again be presented — by America's Newspapers — and underwritten by Southern Newspapers, Inc.
The prize is named for the late Benjamin Carmage Walls whose newspaper career spanned seven decades. Walls primarily owned community newspapers and advocated strong, courageous and positive editorial page leadership. His friends and associates funded the cost of the awards for the first 10 years. Southern Newspapers, Inc. — led by Lissa Walls Cribb, his daughter, CEO of Southern Newspapers — has been underwriting the cost of the awards since then.
In announcing the return of this annual award, she said: "My father, Carmage Walls, believed a newspaper was a semi-public trust which should reflect and serve its community by providing constructive criticism and positive leadership.
"Central to providing that leadership are local editorial pages. Editorial pages that are relevant, insightful and engaging should be the 'town hall' for a community and serve a role that no other institution or organization can.
"It takes courage and commitment by talented and resourceful editors and writers to shine a light on their community and offer praise when earned and constructively criticize when necessary."
Leonard Woolsey, president of Southern Newspapers and president and publisher of The Daily News in Galveston, Texas, added: “As the leadership DNA of Carmage Walls continues to pulse through the body of Southern Newspapers with purpose and respect, his words related to the central core of a newspaper’s editorial service remain firmly intact and universally admired. This award, fortunately, invites everyone, regardless of their location on a map, to celebrate in the call of honorable leadership through editorial commentary. I am proud everyone can continue to aspire to such a high standard of excellence.”
This award will be presented next fall during the America's Newspapers Annual Meeting and will recognize thoughtful, courageous and constructive editorial page leadership on issues specifically relevant to the newspaper’s primary readership.
Awards will be presented in each of two circulation categories — over 50,000 circulation and under 50,000 circulation.
In each circulation group, the first-place winner will receive a plaque and a cash award of $2,000. Second-place winners will receive a plaque and $1,000.
Details and the entry form will be available at www.newspapers.org in January, but start saving your editorials now. Entries must have been published — online or in print — by a daily or non-daily newspaper between May 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022.
Entry fees will be $25.
