Our Times launches new community spotlight submission process

Every week, Our Times hears from readers who want us to recognize someone doing something special.

A young person has earned an award. A longtime community member has reached an important milestone. Someone from Evansville is making an impact elsewhere. A neighbor has broken a barrier, made history or quietly spent years serving others.

We want to know about those stories. And we need your help telling them.

Our Times is truly a community newsroom. As the number of requests we receive to highlight people and accomplishments has grown, we have developed a new Community and Youth Spotlight submission process that makes it easier for readers to share those stories with us — and easier for our small newsroom to tell more of them.

Instead of simply emailing us a name or asking us to write a story, community members can now complete a short form with the information we need to consider someone for a Spotlight.

The form asks you to tell us who you are nominating, why the person should be recognized, their connection to the Evansville/Tri-State community and the impact they have made. There is also space to tell us about any historical or cultural significance connected to their story — whether they were a first, broke a barrier, contributed to Black history or represent another important piece of our community’s history.

You can also submit a photo and information that can help us verify the accomplishment.

You don’t have to write the story. That’s our job. We simply ask you to help us gather the information we need to get started.

Once submitted, our team will review the information. A submission does not guarantee publication, and we may contact the person nominated or the submitter to verify details or ask additional questions. Selected submissions may be edited and developed into a Community or Youth Spotlight for print, our website, newsletters or social media.

But the value doesn’t end with a Spotlight.

These submissions also help Our Times learn what is happening throughout our community. A nomination may introduce us to an accomplishment we didn’t know about, uncover a piece of local history that deserves to be documented or lead us to a larger story that warrants an interview and deeper reporting.

In that way, you aren’t just submitting a Spotlight. You’re helping us build a record of our community.

That matters to us.

Our Times was built to amplify Black voices and tell stories that have too often gone overlooked or undocumented. We also know that a small newsroom cannot be everywhere or know everything happening across our community. Our readers, families, churches, schools, neighborhoods and organizations are often the first to know when something worth celebrating — or investigating more deeply — is happening.

So, tell us.

Who should we know? Who is doing great work? Who has made history? Who is carrying forward a legacy? Which young person deserves some shine? What accomplishment shouldn’t pass without being recorded?

Help us continue to amplify our stories.

Community and Youth Spotlight submissions can be made through our new online form [HERE]. The form will also be available on the Our Times website in the coming weeks.

Submitting a nomination does not guarantee publication. Our Times retains editorial discretion over all Spotlight selections and may contact submitters or nominees for additional information and verification.