Matthew Hansen of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald is the winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors 2014 contest in feature writing for the 75,001-175,000 circulation category.
Hansen won for To his left, a life of drugs; to his right, a chance to turn it around a feature on Caleb Smidt, a drug addict that turned to running triathlons to help set his life straight. Hansen will be presented with a first-place plaque at the 2015 APSE banquet. The banquet and awards dinner concludes the APSE Conference June 24-27 at The Westgate Hotel in San Diego, Calif.
Hansen won the APSE judges polling with 56 points. Joey Johnson of The Tampa Tribune was runner-up with 40 points, with third-place finisher David Scott of the Charlotte Observer grabbing 36 points. Sports editors in the 75,000 to 175,000 category submitted 94 feature entries.The contest is open to APSE members. Click here to join.
Contest chair Mary Byrne numbered each entry, assuring they had been stripped of headlines, graphics, bylines and any other element that would identify the writer or news organization.
In early February, preliminary judges at the APSE Winter Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., selected a top 10, with each judge ranking the entries in order from 1 to 10 separately on a secret ballot. Entries were given 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote. The final 10 were given to a second judging group, which ranked the entries 1-10 in the same fashion. The winner and final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots.
The Feature category is judged on human interest, reader interest, quality of writing and thoroughness of reporting. Each member news organization was permitted up to three entries in this category.
The top 10 is listed below with links to writers’ Twitter pages and winning entries.
Matthew Hansen, Omaha (Neb.) World Herald, 56 points, 4 first-place votes
To his left, a life of drugs; to his right, a chance to turn it around
- Joey Johnston, The Tampa Tribune, 40 points, 1 first-place vote
Daughter of USF player born blind but regaining sight
- David Scott, Charlotte Observer, 36 points
Ex-Charlotte 49ers star Henry Williams never lost faith in wake of life-changing diagnosis
- Don Coble, Florida Times-Union, 35 points
The Legend of Dick Trickle: NASCAR driver lived, and died, on his own terms
T-5. Tim Graham, The Buffalo News, 34 points
T-5. Dirk Chatelain, Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, 34 points
Angels & Dragons: Gretna standout escaped homelessness thanks to the ‘heart of a lion’
7. Mike Harrington, The Buffalo News, 32 points
Formulas for success: Everyone jumping on board with analytics
T-8. Kevin Tresolini, The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.), 24 points
Football killed him, not his legacy
T-8. Nate Mink, The Post-Standard (Syracuse), 24 points
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10. Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald, 15 points
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