Michael Karlis’ coverage of the “Take Back Our Border” anti-immigrant convoy won second place for Right-Wing Extremism Coverage in the 2025 AAN Awards. Credit: Michael Karlis

The San Antonio Current was recognized in four categories at this weekend’s 2025 Association of Alternative Newsmedia Awards.  

Staff writer Michael Karlis won second place in the Right-Wing Extremism Coverage category for his “‘Take Back Our Border’ convoy heads for Texas border town of Eagle Pass” series.

“This is a well-reported, eye-opening, ground-level view of how the right leveraged immigration in 2024,” judges wrote of the entry. “The article on the Dripping Springs event was particularly startling.”

Former food editor Nina Rangel won third place in Food Writing for her 2024 body of work, which included an extensive package on the opening of the Pearl’s Pullman Market. 

“Cheers to Rangel for not allowing big-money hospitality companies to set the narrative: Holding an out-of-town firm to account for a grocery store that’s out of step with the community’s needs and income levels is a food journalist’s job,” judges said of the package. “She does it ably and knowledgeably, with enthusiasm for the subject she covers.”

Editor-in-Chief Sanford Nowlin won an honorable mention for “Federal regulators hit USAA Savings Bank with yet another order to fix ‘unsafe practices’,” an investigative piece written in collaboration with American Banker’s Polo Rocha.

“It offered an unvarnished look at the challenges at USAA that belie the cheery TV commercials and snappy jingle that people around the country see and hear,” judges commented. “Your collection of regular-person sources gave us important insight into the inner workings of this bank.”

The Current’s Cassandra Wagner and Sam Serna also shared a second-place win in Ad Marketing Campaign (Created In-House) for their Whiskey Business San Antonio promotional campaign.

“Straight up classy campaign with a smoky nose, served neat,” the judges said. “Nicely executed 360-degree media that doesn’t just lead to a successful event, but cements ownership of this cultural happening by the publishing brand.”

The Current’s sister publications in the Chava Communications family, Creative Loafing Tampa and Orlando Weekly, also won a total of four awards. The 2025 winners of the AAN Awards were selected from 750 submissions.

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This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2025.