The “Félix Varela Awards” for excellence in journalism on Latino issues have gone mainstream.  In addition to the prestigious national prize for Spanish-language print journalism, this year’s competition includes a new category for Spanish and English-language digital journalists writing news stories or blogs about Latino issues for any news website.

The award program offers two $10,000 prizes and is hosted by the AL DIA Foundation at Temple University’s Department of Journalism in Philadelphia.

 The announcement was made this week at the annual Convention of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, (NAHJ), meeting this week in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by Zita Arocha, former Executive Director of the organization and a juror for the “ Felix Varela Awards.”

 “These awards are the Latino equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize,” said Zita Arocha, professor of multi-media Journalism at the University of Texas at El Paso and director of the multimedia, bilingual website for College journalists, borderzine.com. “They honor and recognize the value of solid journalism about Latino issues that are radically transforming the landscape of our country.”

Hernán Guaracao, publisher and founder of Al Dia News in Philadelphia, and Chairman of the AL DIA Foundation, said: “Journalism in America is not in crisis; it is in a vital transition. The many untold stories of America’s largest ethnic group must be part of this new era of great journalism in the 21st Century in the US.”

The AL DIA Foundation Awards honors the legacy of Father Felix Varela, a North American intellectual who published one of the first Spanish-language newspapers in the history of the U.S. in the City of Philadelphia.

More information on the two awards (Spanish-language Print and Spanish and English-language Digital Journalism) go to www.felixvarelaaward.com. Deadline for submissions is December 31, 2009.

More information about  the Prize:  www.felixvarelaaward.com