Collins wins Hartman Award for third time

DENTON – Alvin Sun and Advertiser Sports Editor Stephen Collins has taken home this third Fred Hartman Award for Excellence in Sports Writing.
The award was presented by former Sun and Advertiser Publisher Dan Moore at the TPA Convention and Trade Show in Denton. Moore currently publishes the Henderson News.
Collins was also honored in 2014 and in 2019.
Thanking the Hartman family, TPA and his family, Collins also noted that this time was extra special because he was able to celebrate the award with his new bride, Josephine Collins, whom he married in March.
Fred Hartman began his newspaper career as a sportswriter and eventually became editor and publisher of The Baytown Sun, working for Carmage Walls and Southern Newspapers.
He became a newspaper owner later in his career, but he never lost his passion for sports writing. Hartman Newspapers, L.P., sponsors the annual award in his memory to promote excellence in sports writing. Each year the contest alternates between two fixed circulation breaks: more than 10,000 and less than 10,000. The award carries a $1,000 cash prize.
Collins’ entry for the Hartman award included feature stories on Alvin High School ace and valedictorian Jodie Aguirre, AHS trainers Samantha Baker and Carly Malia, a look back at the 1999 and 2000 state semifinalist Alvin Lady Jacket volleyball teams and the life of KACC’s Bill Lewis, along with a game story depicting the Shadow Creek Sharks’ last-second basketball victory over the Manvel Mavericks.
This year’s judge noted that “Collins provides Alvin readers with extremely well-written stories across a broad spectrum — and on volume. Sports at this level are like glue, binding communities. Collins deserves great credit for contributing to the effort.”