Can you help us judge this year's Carmage Walls Commentary entries?

Volunteers are needed to help judge the entries for this year's Carmage Walls Commentary Prize.

This year's contest includes entries in three categories:

• FOCUSED EDITORIALS
  This category recognizes editorials that examine a single, clearly defined issue, action or decision affecting a local community. Entries should reflect the official position of the newspaper and demonstrate clarity of purpose, strong reasoning and relevance to local impact.
• PERSONAL INTEREST COLUMNS
  This category recognizes signed columns written from an individual perspective that explore human interest topics, including family life, community experiences and everyday challenges or successes. Entries should demonstrate strong voice, storytelling and relevance to readers through personal insight.
• SIGNED POLITICAL AND SOCIAL COMMENTARY
  This category recognizes signed columns offering opinion and analysis on political, governmental or broader social issues. Entries should present a clear point of view, encourage thoughtful consideration and contribute to public understanding or debate.

We are seeking publishers, newsroom editors or reporters, editorial page editors or writers, columnists and journalism educators to help evaluate the entries.

If you volunteer, you will be asked to review about 30 editorials or columns.  You'll have about a month to review the entries prior to taking part in a Zoom call between judges in July or early August.  The top entries in each bracket will move to a finalist round for another round of judging.

Read some outstanding work by members of America's Newspapers and help us recognize excellence among our members!

To express willingness to volunteer, contact Cindy Durham at cdurham@newspapers.org.  And, thank you!

The awards will be presented at the America's Newspapers Senior Leadership Conference, to be held Sept. 28-30 in Washington, D.C.  Finalists will be announced once judging has been completed!