Solomon Crenshaw Jr. recently won two first-place awards and a third-place award from the National Federation of Press Women for stories he wrote for BirminghamWatch in 2020.

Another BirminghamWatch contributor, Samford communication and media professor Clay Carey, won a first-place award in the faculty advisor of student publication, station or site category.

Crenshaw won first place for specialty articles, physical health, for his story “Birmingham Health Care Worker Who Caught Virus ‘Had a Feeling That Things Weren’t Normal.’”

He also won first place for specialty articles, history, for his piece “Dogs, Firehoses Were a Precursor to Today’s Violent Protests.”

Crenshaw took a third place finish for specialty articles, social issues, for his piece “Infrastructure Decisions, Property Valuation, Investment and Hiring Practices Build a Gap Between Black and White Household Wealth.”

Carey was recognized for his work with The Local student magazine, which earlier this year earned a first-place award in the Southeast Journalism Conference competition.

Both are members of Alabama Media Professionals, which is the state’s affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women.

The awards were given out during a virtual ceremony Friday evening.