Gulf Coast Media's newsroom and graphic design departments won 20 Alabama Press Association Media Awards for work done in 2024.

The awards were announced at the 2025 APA Summer Convention banquet held at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach on June 28. GCM's award-winning work for last year spans reporting and storytelling, photography, newspaper and magazine design and advertising campaigns, including eight first-place awards.

Newspaper employees at Michigan Press Association member outlets judged the Alabama contest this year. Press associations rotate which states they judge each year.

Recognitions included, print, digital and social media work, including a sweep of the photo essay category by Micah Green, chief digital officer and photojournalist, for first, second and third place. His first-place award in that category was for a series of photos documenting the Gulf Shores Fire Department 9/11 Stair Climb.

Green also took first place for Best News Photo for a story headlined "Honoring those who served: Traveling Viernam Memorial Wall exhibit visits Robertsdale."

For the second year in a row, GCM's annual newcomers' guide, Big Beautiful Baldwin, was awarded first place in the niche publication category. The magazine is designed by lead graphic designer McKinzie Impastato with content curated and fact-checked by newsroom staff.

Impastato led two other projects that won first place in the advertising contest: Best Advertising Campaign for GCM's inaugural ultiMEAT food bracket, sponsored by Parrish Tractor, with online contest management from Whisper Edwards, editorial assistant and promotions manager; and Best Presentation of Online Advertising. Digital ads on www.GulfCoastMedia.com are designed and managed by Impastato and graphic designer Brooke Duck.

Also in the advertising contest, Impastato and sales representative Frank Kustura earned second place in the regularly scheduled special section category for Fairhope Arts and Crafts, the official guide booklet GCM produces for the festival.

In the editorial contest, Impastato, along wuth Green and former sports editor Cole McNanna, earned second place in the niche publication category for GCM's 2024 Baldwin County Football Preview, and she and Duck got third place in the layout and design category, which reviews the design of the printed newspaper. This award was specifically for The Baldwin Times.

In her first time entering the contest for a writing entry, Edwards earned second place in the editorial category for a column headlined "Ordinary citizens, extraordinary duties: My Baldwin County grand jury duty experience."

Green's second-place recognition in the photo essay category was for a set headlined "Spiritual graduation" of a ceremony for Conjure South Hoodoo Institute on Mobile Bay in Daphne.

Kayla Green, executive editor, got second place in the headline category for "GOOAALLF SHORES! STATE CHAMPS!" celebrating the Dolphins boys' soccer team's state title.

In the magazine contest, Beachin', lead by Micah Green as designer and photographer and Kayla Green as editor, with content also by newsroom staff, earned second place for themed issue for The Food Issue, published winter 2024 with Voyagers executive chef Brody Olive on the cover.

Micah Green earned third place in the single magazine photograph category, for Beachin', for a story headlined "When Dolphins soar: Gulf Shores student-built plane takes flight."

In her first year entering the APA contest, reporter Ruth Mayo earned third place in the spot news story category for an article headlined "Sea turtle false crawls due to human distraction."

Micah Green's third-place photo essay recognition was for a set with a story headlined "Gulf Shores student working to preserve Little Lagoon shoreline" on Aidan Holdsworth's local environmental project.

Former sports editor Cole McNanna won first place for Best Sports In-Depth Coverage, "The numbers behind Orange Beach's national championship softball season"; for Best Use of Social Media for GCM's sports accounts; and for Best Sports Magazine Feature for "Reel Talk" in Beachin', a story on angler Jaselyn Berthelot.

He earned second-place for sports feature story, "Gulf Shores lineman Burkett back at football practice following chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Lymphoma" and for a sports photo headlined "Remembering a Warrior" of Elberta then-senior Corbitt Williams sharing an embrace with the family of his late best friend, Avery Pickle, during pregame ceremonies before the Warriors' season opener against Orange Beach.