Southland Times sports reporter Brendon Egan has been awarded the Bell Journalism Prize for 2012.

The prize is valued at $8000 for overseas travel.

Egan plans to travel to the United States, where he will spend a week at the University of Pittsburgh with rising New Zealand basketball star Steve Adams.

Adams, the brother of Olympic shot put gold medallist Valerie Adams, is expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft in July 2013.

He also intends to travel to Texas to write a feature on former Tall Black  basketballer Sean Marks, who works in the front office for NBA team the San Antonio Spurs.

''I felt like a stunned mullet when editor Fred Tulett told me the news,'' Egan said.

''I'm honoured to be selected as the recipient of this award and looking forward to this wonderful opportunity.''

Egan, who completed his gradute diploma of journalism at the University of Canterbury, has been at The Southland Times for the past three years.

The Times' sports reporters have now all won this award.

Sports editor Nathan Burdon won it in 2003 and Logan Savory in 2008.

Former reporters Juliet Larkin (2008) and Kirsty Macnicol (2001) also won it, along with Queenstown-based Mirror editor Debbie Jamieson, who won it in 2002 when she worked for Otago Daily Times.

The Bell Journalism Prize was established in 1971.

- © Fairfax NZ News