CONCORD, N.C., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac honored five journalists Thursday during the presentation of the Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin, an annual tradition since 1985. The ceremony was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway as part of the Coca-Cola 600 race festivities.

The Aflac Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding motorsports coverage in five categories while honoring the memory of Russ Catlin, a motorsports journalism pioneer.

"Through the dedication of these exceptional journalists, our sport and its stories are brought to life for millions of racing fans," said Jeff Charney, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for Aflac. "Aflac is honored to salute the 2008 winners of these awards."

This year's entries were judged by students at the Indiana University School of Journalism. Winners were presented with a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship from Aflac in the winner's name, donated to the school of their choice. The competition fielded more than 75 entries.

"The Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence are a time-honored tradition in racing," said Scott Cooper, Vice President of Communication for Lowe's Motor Speedway. "For 23 years, we've acknowledged the contributions of motorsports journalists. We're thankful Aflac gives us the opportunity to continue this tradition."

The award is among the most coveted in motorsports journalism. Reporters from several media outlets, including USA Today, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post have all been past winners.

The 2008 Aflac Motorsports Journalism Awards of Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin comprise five categories. Winners are as follows:

    Writing - Daily

          Susan Wade - Newark Star-Ledger

          Entry: "Mourning All Day; Drivers and Owners Pay Tribute to Fallen
          Scott Kalitta at NHRA Super Nationals"

          Judges' comments: Timely; well-written with good interviews;
          newsworthy; good detail; well structured with fine transitions;
          solid lead and ending.

          Scholarship: Indiana University; School of Journalism; Bloomington,
          Ind.

    Writing - Other

          Mike Hembree - NASCAR Scene

          Entry: "NASCAR'S Lost Tracks"

          Judges' comments: Good lead and excellent research; fine interviews
          with a variety of sources; nice detail and solid reporting; original
          historic piece; well-written in general with good structure for a
          long story; nice flow.

          Scholarship: University of South Carolina, School of Journalism and
          Mass Communications, Columbia, S.C.

    Broadcast - National

          Tom Rinaldi - ESPN, ESPN NASCAR NOW

          Entry: Jerome Davis Feature

          Judges' comments: Great story idea with enterprise reporting;
          pleasant mix of old and new footage; no gratuitous use of
          background music; well-written and edited; concise; good
          transitions.

          Scholarship: Columbia University; The Columbia Graduate School of
          Journalism; New York, N.Y.

    Broadcast - Local

          Kevin Wrenn - WGHP-TV, FOX 8, High Point, N.C.

          Entry: "Faster Pastor"

          Judges' comments: Technically good; fine use of close-ups; audio
          and video were in sync and complemented each other; great idea and
          story focus; nice variety of scenes with mixture of interviews and
          actual track footage; journalistically sound; creative, original
          story.

          Scholarship: Jordan-Matthews High School, English Department, Siler
          City, N.C.

    Photojournalism

          Will Lester - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

          Entry: "Fireball"

          Judges' comments: Good framing and capturing of "decisive moment" in
          this fiery explosion of a funny car; Heat waves from cars are
          interesting visual effects, providing some sense of high
          temperatures accompanying great speeds; Good focus and color.

          Scholarship: California State University, Fullerton; College of
          Communications; Fullerton, Calif.

In addition to the annual winners, Aflac also honored the memory of the late David Poole, motorsports writer for the Charlotte Observer and co-host of "The Morning Drive" on SIRIUS satellite radio. Poole was honored with a plaque for his journalism excellence. Poole's wife, Katy, accepted the plaque as well as a $1,000 donation from Aflac in his memory to the Pennies for Wessa Foundation. Poole had published, and entered into this year's competition, his story "Dale's Lucky Penny," which centers around the pennies for Wessa Foundation. The story was originally published on February 17, 2008.

About Aflac

For more than 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. As the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan, Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. In 2009, Aflac was recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the third consecutive year and was also named by the Reputation Institute as the Most Reputable Company in the Global Insurance Industry for the second consecutive year. In 2009 Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the eleventh consecutive year. Fortune magazine also ranked Aflac No. 1 on its global list of the Most Admired Companies in the Life and Health Insurance category. Aflac appears on Hispanic Enterprise magazine's list of the 50 Best Companies for Supplier Diversity and on Black Enterprise magazine's list of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity. Aflac was also named by Forbes magazine as America's Best-Managed Company in the Insurance category. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.

Media Contacts:
Jeff Dennison, Breaking Limits
704.252.3356
jdennison@blmarketing.net

Tim Turner, Aflac
706.243.5594
trturner@aflac.com

aflac.com
lowesmotorspeedway.com

SOURCE: Aflac