The Call News was named the top large weekly newspaper in Alabama after winning the General Excellence award during the Alabama Press Association’s 2026 Summer Convention held June 26-27.
The newspaper received the association’s highest honor after earning 17 awards in the annual APA’s Better Newspapers Contest, including seven first-place finishes. The 1,727 entries from 51 Alabama newspapers were judged by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
The General Excellence award recognizes the overall quality of a newspaper, including its news and sports coverage, editorials, photography, design and production.
“General Excellence is one of the highest honors a newspaper can receive because it reflects the work of the entire team and the overall heart, effort and commitment that goes into every edition of the Call News,” Deep South Media Group Publisher Rhonda Gray said. “I am incredibly proud of the dedication, pride and hard work our staff puts into the newspaper each week. At Deep South Media Group, it is never about ‘I’ — it is always about ‘we.’ This award belongs to the people who show up, work hard and care deeply about producing a newspaper our readers, advertisers and communities can be proud of. We are very proud of this accomplishment but we also see it as motivation to keep growing, keep improving and making 2026 even stronger.”
The Call News previously announced 12 awards before the convention. Additional awards announced during the event elevated the newspaper to the General Excellence title.
Among the newly announced honors, the newspaper received first place for Best Local Sports Coverage, second place for Best Editorial Page and third-place awards for Best Local News Coverage, Best Use of Photos and Editorial Content and Best Layout and Design.
It was the third time in the last four years the Call News won the Best Local Sports coverage award.
Editor Jimmy Wigfield led the individual winners with six awards, including three first-place honors. He won Best Local Sports Column for the third consecutive year for his tribute to longtime UMS-Wright football coach Terry Curtis following his retirement. Wigfield also earned first place in Best Sports News In-Depth Coverage for his story on the death of Leroy softball coach Tabitha Baggett and its impact on the community and first place for Best Sports Feature Story for his article about locally owned horse Coal Battle competing in the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
Wigfield also received second-place awards in Best Sports News In-Depth Coverage for his article on Jackson football standout E.J. Crowell and Best Sports Single Event Story for his coverage of Saraland High School’s runner-up finish in the Class 6A football championship game. He added a third-place finish in Best Local Sports Column for his commentary, “What the ELL is Going On?” about a proposal involving English Language Learner students and athletic classification.
Publisher Willie Gray earned first place for Best Spot News Photo for capturing the aftermath of a vehicle that crashed into a Citronelle church and sparked a fire that destroyed the building.
Layout editor Doug Dimitry received first place in headline writing for “No Dice on Gaming,” which accompanied coverage of failed gaming legislation in the Alabama Legislature.
Columnist Jeff Poor earned third place for editorial commentary with “The Alabama Prison Mess” while photographer Helen Joyce received third place in Best Feature Photo for “The Miracle of a Child’s Smile” highlighting Mobile’s Miracle Field baseball program.
