Christian Caple, writer and proprietor of On Montlake, won first place in the Division C column writing category of the 2025 Associated Press Sports Editors contest.
Contestants in the column writing category entered four-part portfolios, including one piece with a mandatory strong opinion. Caple, whose site covers the University of Washington, submitted a portfolio that included pieces on Shane Cleveland, a season-ticket holder who donated a kidney to former UW football player Nate Robinson; on Bob Rondeau, former voice of the Huskies; former players’ path to compensation in the wake of the House settlement; and why UW should embrace a trip to the lower-tier L.A. Bowl.
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.
Caple will receive a first-place plaque. The second- through 10th-place finishers will receive frame-worthy certificates.
Sports editors submitted 39 entries in the Division C column 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, reading 156 total pieces in the category. The committee 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. Christian Caple, On Montlake (1) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
2. Tyler Dunne, Go Long 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
3. Jim Polzin, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) (2) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
4. Kevin Brockway, The Gainesville Sun 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
5. Amie Just, Lincoln Journal Star (1) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
6. Ryan O’Halloran, The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
7. Art Stapleton, The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
8. Mark Story, Lexington Herald-Leader (1) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
9. Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1) 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
10. Drew Hill, The Daily Memphian 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
