Thank you to those who have entered the 2026 contest for the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage, Associated Press Sports Editors’ annual sports journalism prize for reporting and writing about girls’ and women’s sports.
For those of you who’d like to enter, we’ve got good news: The late deadline has been extended: 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Monday, April 20, 2026.
The early entry fee of $50 per portfolio has been extended through Monday, April 13. The entry fee will rise to $75 from Tuesday, April 14 to Monday, April 20.
This award is a continuation of APSE’s mission of annually recognizing professional excellence in sports journalism with a wide-ranging national contest. APSE’s members include 200 news organizations of all sizes from around the nation.
The winner will earn the award through a journalism contest administered by Associated Press Sports Editors and the APSE Foundation.
This year, the contest is again split into the following categories:
• Pro sports
• College sports
• High school/community sports
• At-large (Olympics, combination of sports, column writing, etc.)
Note: The at-large category is comprised of stories that would fall in multiple other categories, as well as columns or other general stories about women’s sports at all levels.
Each writer should submit a portfolio of four stories published in 2025 about women athletes or events, issues and trends in girls’ and women’s sports at any level. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, April 13, 2026.
An early-bird entry fee of $50 per portfolio is applicable through April 6. The entry fee will rise to $75 from April 7-13. This contest is open to all North American media organizations and individuals involved in sports writing. You do not need to be an APSE member to enter.
Freelance writers and student journalists are eligible and can submit work that appeared in different publications. Newsletter writers can also enter. There’s no limit on the number of entries an individual organization can have, but each reporter must be entered and paid for separately.
A panel of judges selected by APSE will pick at least five finalists and a winner. Depending on the number and quality of entries, the judges may award honorable mentions and special citations. Please send any questions about this contest to apsecontest@gmail.com.Click here to enter the Billie Jean King Award writing contest.
