Ken Sugiura Named 2025 Georgia Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association

We’re proud to share that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports columnist Ken Sugiura has been honored as the 2025 Georgia Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA).

This marks Sugiura’s second NSMA award, following his win in 2023, and continues an impressive streak for the AJC—its fourth consecutive year being recognized. In 2024, Mark Bradley shared the award, and in 2022, D. Orlando Ledbetter shared the award. In 2025, two other AJC journalists, Lauren Williams and Chad Bishop, were also named finalists for their outstanding sports journalism work.

Some of Sugiura’s recent work that engaged AJC readers the most included pieces like “With prices hiked, some Braves season-ticket holders feel unvalued,” “A question for Arthur Blank: Is this the best that the Falcons can do?” and “Would you believe the coach who recruited Kirby Smart also coached Brent Key?”

Sugiura joined the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.

The NSMA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates excellence in sports media and supports educational opportunities for aspiring professionals through networking, mentoring, and scholarship programs.

Congratulations to Ken, Lauren, and Chad for their exceptional contributions to sports journalism and for representing the AJC.