By Erik Hall
Here is everything you need to know to enter the 2027 APSE Student Contest.
You can submit entries for the 2027 Associated Press Sports Editors student contest starting Nov. 1, 2027. The entry deadline is Sunday, Jan. 11, 2027.
Email entries and any questions about the contest to Erik Hall at apsecontest@gmail.com with STUDENT CONTEST in the subject line.
Previous winners of the annual APSE student contest have included George Stoia (Oklahoma), Kelli Stacy (Oklahoma), Emily Giambalvo (Georgia), Lia Assimakopoulos (Northwestern), Evan Gerike (Indiana), Colin Beazley (Villanova), Wynton Jackson (Hampton University), Shelby Swanson (North Carolina), and Ira Gorawara (UCLA).
2027 APSE Student Contest Rules
1. The contest is open to all APSE student members and members of any APSE student chapter at any college or university. Annual dues for APSE student membership are just $25. Learn how here.
2. Entries must come from an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at a college or university during the summer 2026 or fall 2026 academic terms.
3. Work must come from the period of April 11, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2026.
4. DEADLINE TO ENTER IS Jan. 11, 2027.
5. The single contest category will be Portfolio. A student may enter only one portfolio.
The portfolio will have three elements: (a) a feature or enterprise story, (b) an event or game coverage story (this can include a column or sidebar), and (c) a wild-card entry, which can be from the above categories or something else. Multimedia can be the third option but that is OPTIONAL.
All written work must have been done by the student alone — no co-byline on written material allowed.
If multimedia or video entry is included, the student entering must have had a key role in conceiving, editing, and producing the item, but it can involve someone else. For example, someone else operating the camera if the student is on camera. If the student includes multimedia, they must explain their role in a cover letter.
6. All work entered must have been published, but does not have to have been published in a student publication. It can be from an internship, from stringing with a local paper, writing for a website, etc. It cannot, however, be published only on the student’s own “see my work here” portfolio web page.
7. No redaction will be required, and there is no anonymity for entries. All entries will be submitted via links to the published work.
If you have a paywall, you must provide a contest username and password (on your entry key), valid through March 15, 2027.
8. It is not required, but you may include a cover letter that is 200 words or less. The cover letter should reflect the impact of stories included in the portfolio and/or metrics that show authority and audience engagement.
9. A top 10 will be chosen out of all entries, with the top 10 ranked in order from first place to 10th.
10. A plaque will be awarded for first place. Anyone who finishes in the top 10 can request a certificate acknowledging their accomplishment.
