Monday, April 13, 2026

Last opportunity to enter your book into the Int'l Latino Book Awards – but plenty of time to be a judge for those who love books

 

Vol 24, Issue 8 April 13, 2026

The deadline for entries into the International Latino Books Awards comes up in THREE days, so don't hesitate to get your entries in.

For you lovers of books by and about Latinos, consider becoming a judge with the Awards and getting the opportunity to read some AMAZING new books in 87 different categories. Last year, we worked with 222 judges on evaluating the awards. This year, we can take judges from anywhere in the world since the judges will be evaluating the digital editions of the books. We need judges in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and you can be fluent in one or several of the languages. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND SIGN UP TO BE A BOOK AWARD JUDGE.

On April 25th at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Empowering Latino Futures will be holding our 79th Latino Book & Family Festival. The event will include Author, Children's, Community, Education, Health, along with Crusin' and Food Villages. There will be a special Community Organization Showcase along with the MiraCosta STREAM Festival. Currently, there are just under 200 booths of activities. There's still time to be a sponsor or exhibitor. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Thanks for listening,

Kirk Whisler


You still have time to enter the International Latino Book Awards & the Latino Book Into Movies Awards

Click here to get the info about both awards

2026 International Latino Book Awards

Here’s the new deadlines for entering the Awards:

 Final day to submit applications: April 15, 2026. Digital forms needed to be completed by the 15th.

 Final day to submit PDFs of books: April 30, 2026

 Final day to submit 2 printed copies of the books you are entering: June 15th

 Finalists will be announced July to August 2026


Latino Books into Movies Awards

We have reopened the Latino Books into Movies Awards and are once again accepting

applications.

Changes in the Awards:

 We now accept books in Spanish as well as English. This is a first for us with these

awards. This is because one of the studios we work with is looking for books in Spanish

for their television and film productions.

 Since this is a continuation of the B2M Awards group started in 2024, if the book you

entered is part of a series AND if you have a new book in the series, you can include that

book into these awards at no additional cost as part of the series. Just send us copies of

the new book.

 With the 2024 group of entries, we added two new video game categories: Child games

and Adult games with a Latino perspective. Just wanted to remind all of you about that.

Remember, now the Video Gaming Industry is bigger than the Entertainment Industry.

 We have now added a new category, Latino Culturally Sensitive Games. These are NOT

for video games, but rather board, card, etc., games. Think Loteria.

 Finally, while movies once accounted for over 70% of all scripted entertainment, they

are now under 40%. In the past, we’ve gotten more entries on the MOVIE side than on

the TV side. We want to increase the TV entries.

The deadline for entries into the Latino Books into Movies Awards will be August 15, 2026.


Look at this email in the next two weeks to sign up as a judge for this year's Int'l Latino Book Awards. Last year we worked with 222 judges.

See the larest version of Josefina Lopez'

Real Women Have Curves

Sign up for the Empowering Latino Futures Book Club or other newsletters

Helpful Research

Key facts about U.S. Latinos

The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase.

From Our Partners

An Icon Has Fallen – But Our Work Continues

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this message. We were ALL saddened this week as the honest news about Cesar Chavez came. While most of us admired Cesar during his life, his actions against young girls and women can not be tolerated. Changing the name of Cesar Chavez Day events to Farmwork Day or something comparable is a great start.

I first met Cesar in the early 1970's and got to know him through 20+ meetings over the next two decades. He certainly was well aware of what we were doing in Latino publishing. The UFW person I got to know and admire much more was Dolores Huerta, whom I've considered a friend for five decades. Within the UFW, she oversaw many of the external and political efforts while Cesar oversaw the internal ones. With Dolores' revelations this week, my heart goes out to her once again. It was insulting in 1993 when Cesar passed away that Dolores was not chosen as UFW President largely because of machismo. Eventually, she left the UFW and created the wonderful Dolores Huerta Foundation.

With all the chaos caused by the current administration, and I believe that is one of its goals, we can NOT let Cesar's action also hurt our community more. We can learn from the Black community a lot about building up true NATIONAL leaders. While the Latino community has many local leaders, few have major national visibility.

Whenever I go to NNPA events, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, they always have many Black members of Congress and key black business leaders. We do not see that with the NAHP, NAHJ, and other Latino organizations. The bottom line is that Latino leaders have NOT worked with Latino media in the way Black leaders have. Let's collectively work to build MANY NATIONAL Latino Leaders who have a real audience. From this tragedy that Ceasr caused, let's somehow create a brighter future.


Thanks for listening,

Kirk Whisler

The National Association of Hispanic Publications

Makes Landmark Announcements

Nearly $2 Million in New Grants and Major Growth Announced at the 

2025 National Association of Hispanic Publications Convention

By Kirk Whisler

SAN DIEGO— The 2025 National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) Convention delivered a powerful message: Latino media is growing, unified, and more influential than ever. Held November 12–14 at the University of San Diego, the convention unveiled nearly $2 million in new grants, strengthened cross-industry alliances, and set the stage for unprecedented opportunities for Hispanic publishers and media partners nationwide.

The NAHP has experienced extraordinary expansion, with membership surging 71% since 2022—now representing 771 print and digital outlets. This growth reflects the association’s sharpened focus on empowering members as multiplatform Latino content creators, not just traditional publishers.

Collectively, NAHP members now reach 15.4 million Latinos every week—that’s 32% of all Latino adults in the United States. For brands and agencies, this represents one of the largest, most trusted, and most culturally relevant media networks serving Latino communities.

At a time when some Latino media operations are only focusing on English-speaking Latinos, the NAHP focuses on reaching Latinos in the language they want, Spanish and/or English.

The 2025 convention underscored NAHP’s deep commitment to cross-community coalition building. Today, NAHP collaborates closely with Black, Asian American, and Alternative media organizations nationwide, strengthening shared advocacy and expanding opportunities for partners who seek authentic multicultural reach.

This unity gives brands, agencies, and philanthropic partners a single, strategic entry point into diverse media sectors—grounded in community trust.

Speakers and allies included some of the most influential leaders shaping today’s news and media ecosystem, including:

· Gary Acosta, Founder & CEO, NAHREP

· Natalia Gonzalez, Program Officer, Knight Foundation

· Dr. John Warren, Chair, National Newspaper Publishers Association

· Todd Stauffer, Association of Alternative Newsweeklies

· Regina Brown Wilson, California Black Media

· Julian Do, American Community Media

· Matt Pearce, Rebuild Local News

· Tina Wu, News Media Alliance

· Mago Torres, Google News Initiative

Their collective insights reinforced that Latino media is critical to the future of American journalism, community trust, and equitable representation.

Over the past two years, the NAHP Board has modernized its bylaws and operations to align with a digital-first publishing environment. The newly elected Executive Board includes:

· Alvaro Gurdián, La Noticia – President

· Evelyn Castro, La Prensa de Houston – Vice President

· Jesús del Toro, La Raza – Marketing Vice President

· Hector Felix Jr., El Informador del Valle – Membership Vice President

· Ricardo Hurtado, El Sol Latino – Sales Vice President

· Silvana Diaz, Noticia Long Island – Secretary

· José Zepeda Jr., Aviso Community Media – Treasurer

To better reflect the industry’s evolution, NAHP also introduced newly elected Industry Sector Directors, representing key media formats:

· Anthony Ibarria, El Especial – Weekly Newspaper Director

· Jesús Sanchez, El Comercio de Colorado – Less-than-Weekly Newspaper Director

· Ghisela Eljach, InSouth Magazine – Magazine Director

· Bel Hernandez, Latin Heat – Podcast Director

· Daniel Ajzen, Hispanopolis – Website Director

This expanded leadership ensures that every platform—from print to digital to audio—has a strong voice shaping NAHP’s future.

In 2025, NAHP strengthened and expanded collaborations with leading institutions and brands, including:  Knight Foundation, Google News Initiative, T-Mobile, Wells Fargo, Diageo, Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, California Black Media, and Scouting America.

These partnerships reflect a growing recognition of the essential role Latino media outlets play in civic engagement, economic empowerment, and culturally relevant communication.


Celebrating Excellence: The José Martí Awards

This year’s José Martí Awards saw an 18% increase in submissions, with especially strong growth in digital categories—showing the innovation and evolution happening across Latino media.

Highlights include:

· Latina Publisher of the Year: Hilda Gurdián, CEO, La Noticia (North Carolina)

· Latino Publisher of the Year: Hector Felix Sr., Publisher, El Informador del Valle

Their leadership reflects the talent, resilience, and creativity driving Latino journalism forward.

The 2025 NAHP Convention made one thing clear: This is the moment to invest in and partner with Latino media.

For Hispanic publishers, joining NAHP means gaining access to:

· National partnerships and grant opportunities

· Training, advocacy, and digital transformation support

· A unified network that strengthens your voice and reach

For agencies and brands, NAHP offers:

· Direct access to trusted, locally grounded Latino outlets

· Scalable national reach with cultural authenticity

· Partnerships built on transparency, accountability, and community impact

The future of Latino media is bright—and NAHP is leading the way.

For more information on membership, partnerships, or programs, visit nahp.org.

Please forward this free newsletter on to others who may find it useful. Please unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive it. Trouble viewing this e-mail? Read it on the web. HM101 Thank you.

Sinceramente,  Kirk Whisler
Executive Editor,  Hispanic Marketing 101
email: kirk@whisler.com  
voice: (760) 579-1696  web: www.hm101.com

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