Alliance of Area Business Publishers

Editorial Excellence Awards

AABP conducts an Editorial and Design Excellence Competition annually. The competition is coordinated and judged by faculty in the University of Missouri School of Journalism. The purpose of the competition is to encourage a high level of journalistic performance and service to communities by recognizing editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in regional business publications.

The 2026 Editorial Excellence awards competition is open and closes on Friday, March 6, 2026.

We will again be using the software program, BetterBNC.com. Click on “contestant login” from the top navigation bar, choose the 2026 AABP contest and then choose the categories you would like to enter. Don’t forget to follow the instructions for the categories that need to be mailed in and please include a PDF with each entry so we have an image to put in the presentation if you win.

The deadline is March 6, 2026 for both online entries and mailed copies to be received at the University of Missouri School of Journalism:

AABP Contest, c/o Ellie Newberry-Wortham
Missouri School of Journalism
Lee Hills Hall 216
221 S. 8th St.
Columbia, MO 65201

HERE is the awards payment link.

If you need help logging into the site or you have a new editor or art director, send me a direct email: sandersonmgt@gmail.com.

The winners of the 2025 AABP Editorial Excellence Awards were announced on Friday, June 20 at the Summer Conference in Ottawa, CA. Congratulations to all of the winning entries!

HERE is the press release of winners.

The winners of the 2025 AABP Editorial Excellence Awards will be announced on Friday, June 20, during the Summer Conference in Ottawa, CA.

The 2025 AABP Editorial Excellence Awards contest is now open and closes on March 7, 2025. Log into the BetterBNC.com site and choose the 2025 AABP Editorial Excellence Awards contest to enter.

Categories that require mailed entries include Best overall design, Best ancillary publication, Most improved publication, Best Magazine and Best Newspaper must be mailed to the University postmarked by March 7, 2025.

Please be sure to submit 3 sets of materials for each mailed entry. It should be entered online just once.

AABP Contest, c/o Ellie Newberry-Wortham
Missouri School of Journalism
Lee Hills Hall 216
221 S. 8th St.
Columbia, MO 65201

HERE is the awards payment link.

2025 Awards Presentation

2025 Summer Conference Photos

Lewis M. Conn Lifetime
Achievement Award

Mary Kramer of Crain Communications, receives the 2023 Lewis M. Conn Lifetime Achievement Award.

Learn more about the Lewis M. Conn award

Lewis M. Conn Award, sponsored by Kodi Collective

The Lewis M. Conn Award is named in honor of Lewis Conn, who was the owner/publisher of Kentucky Business Ledger — one of the oldest regional business publications in the US started shortly after WWII. Learn more about the Lewis M. Conn Award