DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America has announced the results of its 16th Annual Best Writing Contest sponsored by Insight. At the conclusion of the judging, there were five double award winners, including si.com's Stewart Mandel, who collected a first place in the enterprise category and a second place in the game story category.

Other first-place winners were Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune (features), Brett McMurphy of the Tampa Tribune (loose deadline), Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (game) and Bud Withers of the Seattle Times (column). All the winners will receive stylish plaques when they are honored at the FWAA's Awards Breakfast in January, along with the other placers and honorable mentions.

Mandel, 32, is a repeat winner after claiming first place in the column category in the 13th annual contest. Withers, 60, also won for a column in the 14th annual contest. All five winning entries are published in their entirety in the August edition of The Fifth Down, along with brief sketches of their careers.

Besides Mandel, FWAA members who won two awards in the contest were Hansen, who also picked up an honorable mention in game story, Dennis Dodd of cbssports.com (second in enterprise, honorable mention column), Cory Giger of the Altoona (Pa.) Mirror (third in game and honorable mention in loose deadline) and Brady McCullough of the Kansas City Star (third in loose deadline and honorable mention in enterprise).

All award winners will receive certificates. The 1-2-3 finishers in each category also receive cash prizes at the FWAA Awards Breakfast on Jan. 8 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when the FWAA holds its annual meeting at the site of the Fedex BCS Championship Game.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,000 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.

For more information on the Insight Best Writing Contest, contact FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson at 972-713-6198 or visit www.footballwriters.com.

Related link:
• Complete list of winners and winning stories