Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner won first place in the Division B team beat writing category of the 2025 Associated Press Sports Editors contest.
Contestants in the team beat writing category submitted four-part portfolios that included pieces of breaking news, event coverage, enterprise and a wild-card submission.
Kostka, the Banner’s Orioles writer, entered a portfolio that included breaking news on an eight-year contract extension with catcher Samuel Basallo; coverage of a game against the Astros in which pitcher Brandon Young lost a perfect game in the eighth inning; a behind-the-scenes deep dive on the end of Brandon Hyde’s tenure as Orioles manager; and relief pitchers’ amusing, awkward role in a brawl when it’s evident they’ll arrive all too late from the bullpen to play an active role.
APSE contest winners will be honored at the 2026 APSE Summer Conference banquet July 18 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. Registration for the conference is open; you can register right here.
Kostka will receive a first-place plaque. The second- through 10th-place finishers will receive frame-worthy certificates.
Sports editors submitted 55 entries in the Division B team beat writing category. Contest chair Perryn Keys and APSE officers Paul Barrett, Erik Hall and Tony Maluso prepared the entries.
Contest results: Digital, print and podcasts | Writing and photography
Judges convened in late February, in person at the APSE Winter Conference in Las Vegas and remotely around the nation, to select the top entrants. The first group read 220 total pieces in the category and determined 10 finalists, with each judge ranking the entries in order from 1 to 10. The final 10 were given to a second judging group in late February and March, ranking the entries from Nos. 1 to 10 in the same fashion.
The final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots.
The top 10 are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses, along with links to the winning entries.
The contest is open to APSE members. Click here to join.
1. Andy Kostka, The Baltimore Banner (4) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
2. Ryan Clarke, The Oregonian/OregonLive 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
3. Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
T4. Jon Blau, The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
T4. Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
6. Joel A. Erickson, IndyStar 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
7. Jason Batacao, The Salt Lake Tribune 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
8. Dustin Dopirak, IndyStar (1) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
9. Joey Kaufman, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
10. Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
