AL.com was recognized with 37 awards for its coverage of sports, criminal justice, commentary and video at the 2024 Alabama Press Association Media Awards ceremony.

This year, 56 publications submitted 1,770 entries in the annual contest, according to a statement from Dee Ann Campbell, chairman of the APA Contest Committee. The Hoosier State Press Association membership judged the entries.

The awards banquet was held Saturday in Orange Beach.

AL.com, listed under its parent company Alabama Media Group, competes in Division A for large newspaper groups.

Here are the awards AL.com took home.

FOI- First Amendment Award

1st Place: “Freedom of the press in Atmore” by John Sharp

Best Public Service

1st Place: “One Alabama county cracked down on pregnant drug users. 10 years later, has it gone too far?” by Amy Yurkanin

2nd Place: “Predatory Towing” by Heather Gann

3rd Place: “Saving Chandler Mountain” by Dennis Pillion

Best Newspaper Website

2nd Place: AL.com

Best In-Depth News Coverage

1st Place: “Moody landfill fire” by Dennis Pillion

2nd Place: “What is wrong with the Walker County jail?” by Sarah Whites-Koditschek

Best Spot News Story

3rd Place: “Just a bus ticket and an ankle monitor: Alabama leaves freed prison inmates with no money, no plan” by Ivana Hrynkiw

Best Local Economic Coverage

2nd Place: Hannah Denham, John Sharp

Best Local Education Coverage

1st Place: Rebecca Griesbach, Trisha Powell Crain

Best Local News Coverage

1st Place: Alabama Media Group by Hannah Denham, Joseph Bryant, Kayode Crown

Best Business Story or Column

1st Place: “Forever chemicals dumped in Alabama” by Sarah Whites-Koditschek, Dennis Pillion

2nd Place: “Alabama saw a surge in mass layoffs in 2023, especially in manufacturing” by Hannah Denham

Best Feature Story Coverage

1st Place: “63 years of memories at an old-school Alabama burger and shake shack” by Bob Carlton

2nd Place: “The surprise rebirth of a classic American hard-rock band” by Matt Wake

Best News Feature Story Coverage

3rd Place: “Did that costume at Eufaula’s Admiral Moorer Middle School break your brain? Here’s how it works” by Lawrence Specker

Best Humorous Column

1st Place: “Florida Man ain’t got nothin’ on Tommy Tuberville” by John Archibald

Best Human Interest Column

1st Place: “Years after brothers serve 20 years for rape they said they did not commit- judge tosses wrongful conviction” by Roy S. Johnson

Best Editorial Column or Commentary

1st Place: “Opinion Columns” by Kyle Whitmire

Best Sports News In-Depth Coverage

1st Place: “The debate around NIL and Alabama high school athletics is here” by Nick Alvarez

Best Sports Single Event Story

1st Place: “Inside the 4th-and-31 pass that won Alabama the Iron Bowl at Auburn” by Matt Stahl

Best Sports Feature Story

1st Place: “‘Be Better Than Yesterday’: How four words on a sticky note have inspired Auburn’s football team” by Ainslie Lee

2nd Place: “‘I’m gonna catch it and run’: The story of the Kick Six, as told by the officials” by Creg Stephenson

Best Local Sports Column

1st Place: “Jax State’s new identity is shoxing to the X-treme” by Joseph Goodman

3rd Place: “The 6 seconds that spawned another Iron Bowl icon” by Michael Casagrande

Best Use of Graphics or Illustrations

1st Place: “How much do concessions cost at an Alabama basketball game? Hint: It’s a lot” by Ben Flanagan, Ramsey Archibald

2nd Place: “God and guns, grocery taxes, and death” by J.D. Crowe

Best Headline

1st Place: “Tuberville’s butt fumble proves one thing: He has no business in the Senate” by John Archibald, Challen Stephens

3rd Place: “‘Who’s going to buy my house now?’ Alabama Power reservoir plan raises ire” by Challen Stephens, Dennis Pillion

Online Breaking News Coverage

1st Place: “Dadeville mass shooting coverage” by William Thornton, Carol Robinson, AL.com staff

2nd Place: “The mysterious disappearance of Carlee Russell” by Carol Robinson

Best Use of Social Media

1st Place: “Season of Change 1963″ by Kalyn Dunkins, Jonathan Sobolewski, Amanda Khorramabadi

2nd Place: “Best food in Alabama” by staff

3rd Place: “Carlee Russell X thread” by Madison Underwood

Best Podcast Series

1st Place: “Panther: Blueprint for Black Power” by Roy S. Johnson, Eunice Elliott, John Hammontree

Best Use of Video (Shorter than 2 minutes)

1st Place: “The Clotilda, America’s last known slave ship” by Amanda Khorramabadi

Best Use of Video (Longer than 2 minutes)

1st Place: “Maternal care deserts in Alabama” by Amanda Khorramabadi