Associated Press Sports Editors and the APSE Foundation on Friday announced that Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post is the inaugural winner of the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage.
Jenkins was selected by the final judging panel for her four-story portfolio of content written in 2023 about women’s sports.
“I’ve never been ‘the first’ at anything,” Jenkins said. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather be first at than this.”
Jenkins will be presented with her award on Saturday, Sept. 7, in the media center of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, ahead of the women’s singles final during the US Open Tennis Championships. She also receives a $5,000 grant from the Billie Jean King Foundation; Jenkins announced it will be donated to the Committee to Protect Journalists in the name of Austin Tice.
“Media coverage of women’s sports is crucial to the advancement of all women in sports and it is important we celebrate all journalists who are committed to covering women’s sports,” King said. “I am thrilled the first recipient of the APSE award for excellence in women’s sports coverage will go to Sally Jenkins. Sally and The Washington Post have always been at the forefront of supporting women’s sports and they continue to lead today. I also want to thank Nancy Armour, Jane McManus and Nalia-Jean Meyers, who helped us launch this important award and the journalists who took the time to enter the competition.”
Jenkins, also the recipient of the APSE Red Smith Award for 2021, finished ahead of Katie Barnes of ESPN.com, who was the runner-up, with Chantel Jennings of The Athletic placing third. The three received all nine of the final judges’ first-place votes.
Other finalists were (in alphabetical order): Candace Buckner, The Washington Post; Sean Gregory, Time; Marisa Ingemi, The San Francisco Chronicle; and Meg Linehan, The Athletic.
Eighty entries were received for this inaugural contest, organized by APSE and the APSE Foundation in a partnership with the Billie Jean King Foundation.
The Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage was created in February 2024 to highlight and elevate journalism created around women’s athletics, professionally, collegiately and at the local level.
Judges’ comments on the top three finalists:
“This portfolio has everything you would expect from Sally Jenkins — powerful features, thoughtful commentary and unanticipated gems, all beautifully told. Her unforgettable story on Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova — friends, rivals and survivors — draws you in with descriptive writing that is classic Jenkins: There is an audible rhythm to a Grand Slam tennis tournament, a thwock-tock, tock-thwock of strokes, like beats per minute, that steadily grows fainter as the field diminishes.”
“Katie Barnes’ entry showed a real depth in reporting, writing stories about lesser known athletes in a way to make them familiar to the reader, and interesting from sentence to sentence. Their entry also included an analysis piece that showed their versatility and on-court expertise for women’s college basketball. Enterprise reporting, including a personal profile that captured a little-known side of a well-known athlete, plus an expertly written piece off on a viral news development made Katie’s entry the most complete of a sterling field of contenders.”
“Judging Chantel Jennings’ work for the Billie Jean King Award was an impactful experience. Her Niele Ivey story was one of the top stories I encountered during the contest, distinguished by its exceptional flow and compelling narrative. Jennings’ storytelling prowess consistently stood out, unmatched by many of her peers. Her writing had a unique ability to move me, making me care deeply about the individuals she wrote about. … Jennings’ work exemplified the values and criteria of the Billie Jean King Award, making her a deserving candidate for this honor.”
