Associated Press Sports Editors and the APSE Foundation on Friday announced that Katie Barnes of ESPN.com is the third winner of the Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage.
Barnes, a finalist for last year’s award, was selected by the final judging panel for their four-story portfolio of content written in 2025 about women’s sports.
Barnes’ portfolio included a profile of former TCU star Sedona Prince, whose talent but complicated personal history made her a difficult WNBA draft prospect to evaluate; a feature on Connecticut superstar Azzi Fudd as she attempted to lead the Huskies to back-to-back national championships; how the Las Vegas Aces’ “big three” of Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson led them to a WNBA title; and how Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams, the Minnesota Lynx’s “StudBudz,” were making their mark as a cultural phenomenon.
“It’s just a tremendous honor to be named this year’s winner. I’ve committed my career to covering women’s sports,” Barnes said. “It’s something I’ve loved and something that gave me great joy since I was a kid. So to be recognized for it is a great honor, and it’s not lost on me who this award is named after.”
Barnes will be honored at the APSE’s annual summer conference July 18 in Arlington, Va., and The Billie Jean King Foundation will present Barnes with the award at the Power of Women’s Sports Summit on Aug. 31 in New York. Barnes will also receive a $5,000 grant from the Billie Jean King Foundation.
“Congratulations to Katie Barnes on receiving this year’s award for excellence in women’s sports coverage, and thank you to all the journalists who entered the APSE competition,” Billie Jean King said. “Leaders like Katie are making a commitment to cover women’s sports year-round, and all of us at the Billie Jean King Foundation are proud to support all women’s sports journalists as you tell our stories.”
Barnes finished ahead of runner-up Amie Just of the Lincoln Journal Star, as well as two writers who tied for third place: Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune and Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.
The winner and top finalists, along with links to their portfolios:
- 1. Katie Barnes, ESPN.com | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- 2. Amie Just, Lincoln Journal Star | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- 3t. Danielle Lerner, Houston Chronicle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- 3t. Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
The other finalists, in alphabetical order:
- Rachel Axon, Sports Business Journal | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Brian Haenchen, IndyStar | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Cassidy Hettesheimer, The Minnesota Star Tribune | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Aishwarya Kumar, ESPN.com | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Eden Laase, freelance writer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Gina Mizell, The Philadelphia Inquirer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Alexa Philippou, ESPN.com | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Greg Riddle, The Dallas Morning News | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Hailey Salvian, The Athletic | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
- Jonathan Tannenwald, The Philadelphia Inquirer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Sixty-one entries were received for this year’s contest, organized by APSE and the APSE Foundation in a partnership with the Billie Jean King Foundation.
A nationwide panel of judges prepared and read the entries, whittling them to 15 finalists who were selected from four overall categories: pro sports, college sports, high school/community sports and at-large.
A panel of eight judges then read and scored the 15 finalists.
Barnes received three first-place votes. Lerner received two first-place votes. ESPN.com’s Aishwarya Kumar, The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Cassidy Hettesheimer and freelance writer Eden Laase each received one first-place vote.
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.