Nationwide Public Radio journalist Felix Contreras, finest recognized for chronicling Latino music in his podcast “Alt.Latino,” shall be honored this yr on the thirty eighth annual Hispanic Heritage Awards.
The Hispanic Heritage Basis named Contreras as a recipient of the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Award for journalism on Thursday, certainly one of a number of honors bestowed on notable public figures for his or her accomplishments and cultural contributions to the Latino communities.
Previous awardees on the Hispanic Heritage Awards embody Unhealthy Bunny, America Ferrera, Becky G, J Balvin and others; Contreras is likely one of the few journalists to obtain the esteemed honor, one he says is difficult for him to simply accept.
“We learn early on that [journalists] are not supposed to be the story,” explains Contreras in a telephone name with The Instances. “That’s the largest stumbling block as to why I’m having a difficult time accepting this accolade.”
At first, it was an uphill battle to get artists to acknowledge the podcast’s cultural significance. “ We had to beg people to send us their CDs,” Contreras admits.
Now in its fifteenth yr, “Alt.Latino” has grow to be a go-to hub for Latin music fans seeking to be taught extra on the rise of musica mexicana, the rumblings of Latin jazz, the transformation of Latin rock and extra.
“Independent artists, alternative artists, even some pop artists now consider ‘Alt.Latino’ and NPR as a viable source to get their artist seen or heard,” Contreras says.
To this present day, Contreras continues in his position as co-host of “Alt.Latino,” now alongside Tiny Desk producer Anamaria Sayre, who says she cried when she heard Contreras was being acknowledged.
“ Felix created space for us in the music media landscape in where there wasn’t previously,” says Sayre, who has been working with Contreras since 2023. “He did it with no one telling him that what he was doing was valuable.”
The thirty eighth annual Hispanic Heritage Awards will happen on Sept. 4 on the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.
