dan and sally jenkins.jpg

The Jenkins Medal is awarded in two categories: one for lifetime achievement in sportswriting, and one for the most outstanding work of sportswriting published in the previous calendar year. Both annual awards accompany a cash prize. This year’s winners will be announced at the second annual Jenkins Medal awards dinner Sept. 21 on The University of Texas at Austin campus.

“Dan Jenkins is one of the most original and distinct voices in the history of American sports journalism.  His writing, always evocative and often funny, captures our love of sports and has set the standard for sportswriting for more than 60 years,” said Michael Butterworth, director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media. “We are honored to celebrate Dan’s legacy with these prestigious annual awards.”

The nominees for the 2018 most outstanding work of sportswriting published include:

• Chris Ballard, “You Can’t Give In,” Sports Illustrated, April 6, 2017
• Sam Borden, “Eternal Champions,” E:60, ESPN.com, June 8, 2017
• John Branch, “The Awakening of Colin Kaepernick,” The New York Times, Sept. 7, 2017
• Rembert Browne, “Colin Kaepernick has a job,” B-R Mag, BleacherReport.com, Sept. 12, 2017
• Chuck Culpepper, “Two racehorses, both male, ‘fell in love’ and were inseparable. Until tragedy did it for them.,” The Washington Post, Dec. 25, 2017
• Lee Jenkins, “Don’t Try to Change Jimmy Butler,” Sports Illustrated, Oct. 10, 2017
• Mina Kimes, “The Search for Aaron Rodgers,” ESPN The Magazine, Aug. 30, 2017
• Michael Rosenberg, “Truth Teller,” Sports Illustrated, Dec. 11, 2017
• Alexandra Starr, “Pushing the Limit,” Harper’s Magazine, Nov. 2017
• Louisa Thomas, “Nick Krygios, The Reluctant Rising Star of Tennis,” The New Yorker, July 10 and 17, 2017
• Tisha Thompson and Andy Lockett, “I just wanted to survive,” Outside the Lines, ESPN.com, June 29, 2017
• Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham, “NFL owners struggled to retain control after Trump's attacks, rise of player protests,” ESPN.com, Oct. 1, 2017

The voting for most outstanding sportswriting will be conducted by co-chairs Sally Jenkins and Michael MacCambridge and a committee that includes Kirk Bohls, Bryan Curtis, Tracee Hamilton, Melanie Hauser, Kathleen McElroy, John Walsh and Gene Wojciechowski.

The voting for lifetme achievement in sportswriting will be conducted by the co-chairs and a committee that includes Karen Crouse, Chuck Culpepper, Vahe Gregorian, Will Leitch, Joe Posnanski, Steve Rushin and Seth Wickersham. Nominees for the lifetime achievement award are not made public.

The winners of the 2017 Jenkins Medal were Wright Thompson in Best Sportswriting and Frank Deford in Lifetime Achievement.