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Complete Contest Results

BIRMINGHAM -- Jon Solomon and Erin Stock of The Birmingham News received the Alabama Sports Writers Association's highest writing award for the first time at the association*s 37th annual convention Sunday in Birmingham. The Birmingham News won 12 of the 19 awards presented.

Solomon, who was presented five awards, and Stock, who was presented two awards, both won the Herby Kirby Award for their story on *Hoover High School. The story also won first place in the Best Investigative Story category.

The Birmingham News won its eighth Herby Kirby Award, which is given in memory of longtime Birmingham Post-Herald sports writer Herby Kirby, who died in the press box after covering Notre Dame's 24-23 national football championship win over Alabama in the 1973 Sugar Bowl.

The Birmingham News won its first Herby Kirby Award since 2002.

The Mobile Press-Register had the second-most first-place finishes with three followed by The Huntsville Times, Anniston Star, Florence Times-Daily and Decatur Daily with one each.

For The Birmingham News, Solomon also won first-place awards for the Best Sports Story, Writing on a Deadline, Prep or Other Amateur Event, Best Basketball Feature Without a Deadline and won Best Enterprise Story along with Andrew Gribble and Ray Melick; Ray Melick won Best Column and teamed with Kevin Scarbinsky for Best General Sports Feature Without a Deadline; Kevin Scarbinsky won Best Golf Feature and teamed with Ian R. Rapaport for Best Football Feature Without a Deadline; Mike Bolton won Best Outdoors Feature; and The Birmingham News staff won two more, Best Sports Layout and Best Supplement/Special Edition.

The three first-place awards for The Mobile Press-Register included two for Mark Inabinett for Best Auto Racing Feature Without a Deadline and for Best Headlines; and Gareth Clary for Best Sports Story, Writing on a Deadline, Professional or College Event.

Paul Gattis of The Huntsville Times won the Best Baseball Feature Without a Deadline, Joe Medley of The Anniston Star won the Best Track and Field or Cross Country Feature Without a Deadline, Gregg DeWalt of the Florence Times-Daily won the Best Wrestling/Boxing Feature Without a Deadline and Mark Edwards of the Decatur Daily won Best Tennis Feature Without a Deadline.