The Prestige Awards is sponsored annually by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievements by Louisiana radio and television broadcasters. This competition was established to encourage the highest standards of reporting, community service and production creativity.
The 2026 Prestige Awards will be held Thursday, March 19th, 2026 at the Marriott in Baton Rouge, LA. Registration begins at 11:00am, doors open at 11:30am, and the awards ceremony begins precisely at 11:45am.
2026 Categories and Criteria
Submission for entries closes Friday, January 23rd, 2026
Please download or click full screen and thoroughly review this year’s Category Booklet below before starting on your entries.
Advice for your entries: The judges live out-of-state and are not familiar with Louisiana stations and local events. Give as much context in your entries as possible, demonstrate powerful story-telling and make sure the production is polished.
Baton Rouge Marriott
The Baton Rouge Marriott LAB room block is now available. Please click below to go ahead and secure your room, last day to book a room with the LAB special rate will be Friday, February 27th, 2026
Award Market
| Television | Large market | Baton Rouge, New Orleans/Metairie, Shreveport/Bossier City | |
| Small market | All others | ||
| Radio | Large market | Baton Rouge, New Orleans/Metairie, Shreveport/Bossier City | |
| Small market | All others |
2026 Prestige Award Entry Guidelines
ENTRY DEADLINE
Entries must be submitted electronically through the RockOurAwards.com website no later than 5:00pm on Friday January 23rd, 2026.
ELIGIBILITY
The Prestige Awards is open to LAB member stations which have a primary audience in Louisiana.
Entries must have been produced and broadcasted during the period from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. Entries must be totally created and produced by the station. Material produced with outside advertising or production agency assistance is not eligible. Entries are limited to one per station in each of the categories EXCEPT Student Broadcaster of the Year. An entry can only be entered in one category.
LAB Member stations must be in good standing and have paid their 2025 dues.
All entries must have :30 second video with sound for the award presentation. If your submission doesn’t have this, your submission will be disqualified.
ENTRY FEE
There is no entry fee to participate in this contest.
LIABILITY
If it is determined an entry is not fully locally produced and/or is entered with false documentation, the station and ownership of that station will not be permitted to submit for that award for a period of two years.
As in any contest, conflicts may arise. Issues involving judging of entries will be resolved by the judges; their
decisions will be final. Issues involving interpretation of the rules and procedures of the LAB Prestige Awards will be settled by the Executive Staff of the LAB and, if deemed necessary by the Executive Staff, in consultation with the LAB Awards Committee. Their decisions will be final.
JUDGING
To insure objectivity, judging is conducted by a panel of broadcast experts from outside the state of Louisiana. They will evaluate all entries based on the criteria listed in the “Awards Categories” sections on the following pages. There will be one winner in each category. If the judges think an entry was submitted in the wrong category, they may move it to the proper category. The decision of the judges will be final.