DALLAS (FWAA)- The four first-place recipients in the FWAA's 34th Annual Best Writng Contest ranged from a recent UCLA graduate to a 73-year-old who had just retired and moved to Germany. The FWAA also had a repeat winner from a year ago and two people who placed or won in two different categories.
Ira Gorawara of The Athletic, as a student at UCLA in 2025, took first-place in Features for a story about fans' ideas about the Bruins possibly moving their home football games from the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena to So-Fi Stadium in Englewood. And 73-year-old Harry Minium of ODUsports.com placed first in Columns for a piece on..... This was the second first-place award for Ryan McGee of ESPN.com for his game story on Indiana beating Miami, (Fla.) in the CFP title game on the Hurricanes' home field. McGee also won in 2024 for a Column on the late Coach Mike Leach.
The fourth first-place recipient was Max Olson of ESPN.com, who won for a story on transfer quarterbacks in Enterprise.
Gorawara, who has moved to New York to work fulltime for The Athletic, also took an honorable mention in Game Story and was one of two people with multiple awards. Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports was the other double award winner with a third place in Enterprise and an honorable mention in Features.
First-place recipients get footballs, a certificate and a cash prize; second-place and third-place winners a certificate and a cash prize; and honorable mentions a certificate.
GAME STORY
1. Ryan McGee, ESPN.com
2. Glenn Guilbeau, Tiger Rag Magazine
3. David Hale, ESPN.com
HM: Michael Cohen, Fox Sports
HM: Ira Gorawara, The Athletic
HM: Cody Goodwin, PowerMizzou/247 Sports
COLUMN
1. Harry Minium, ODUsports.com
2. Amie Just, Lincoln Journal Star
3. Michael Lev, Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com
HM: Tony Barnhart (Mr.College Football)
HM: Michael Casagrande, Al.com
HM: Adam Rittenberg, ESPN.com
ENTERPRISE
1. Max Olson, ESPN.com
2. Matt Stahl, AL.com
3. Brandon Marcello CBS Sports
HM: Audrey Snyder, Inside the Lions
HM: Carter Yates, texasfootball.com
HM: Jesse Temple, The Athletic
FEATURES
1. Ira Gorawara, The Athletic
2. Alex Scarborough, Bama247
3. Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle
HM: Brandon Marcello, CBS Sports
HM: Jake Trotter, ESPN.com
HM: Matthew Bartlett, The Roost