The State wins 39 awards for journalistic excellence. Late political writer enshrined
Journalists with The State were recognized by the S.C. Press Association for their work in 2025, bringing home 39 awards, including first place accolades for staff writers Zak Koeske, Jordan Kaye, Chris Trainor and Bristow Marchant, and visual journalists Tracy Glantz and Josh Boucher.
The SCPA also inducted The State’s longtime political writer Lee Bandy into the South Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame. Bandy, who died in 2013, was known for his network of sources and political scoops, first in Washington and later in Columbia. He was so knowledgeable that national television networks regularly had him on as a guest commentator.
Koeske, who tracks education issues for The State, enlightened readers with his coverage of charter schools, education spending and other school-related matters.
He received the SCPA’s first place award in enterprise reporting for a story that questioned how a high school non-profit group spent an $800,000 federal grant. He also won a first place award for education beat reporting for stories about charter schools, traditional public schools and school vouchers.
His coverage of charter school spending won him third place in the SCPA’s A-Mark Award for Investigative Journalism. He also won second place in the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism. Reporter John Monk received an honorable mention in the Bender award competition.
Koeske, who came to The State in September 2020, is originally from Pittsburgh, Pa. He had previous reporting jobs with the Chicago Tribune, the Staten Island Advance and Patch.com. His reporting on charter schools also earned him a second place award in the open division for investigative reporting.
Marchant, a veteran reporter at The State, won a first place award for feature headline writing, while Kaye and Glantz received first place recognition for a digital project about former University of South Carolina running back Demetris Summers. McClatchy’s Susan Merriam shared that award with Kaye and Glantz.
Glantz also took home a first place sports video award for the Summers story ,while Boucher received a first place pictorial award for a dugout photo as part of a story on C.A. Johnson High School baseball.
Trainor, a business and restaurant writer, was recognized for stories he wrote about growth in the Columbia area. He received a first-place award in the growth and development beat category. The State’s staff also won first place for general excellence, digital.
Below is a complete list of awards received by staffers at The State. First place winners are in bold.
- Judson Chapman Award: Second — “A world without a death penalty” — Matt Hall, Josh Boucher, Tracy Glantz
- Innovation: Third — “Lexington County register of deeds tool” — Hannah Wade, Tyler Dukes
- Election and Political Coverage: Second — Staff
- Sports Beat Reporting: Second — Lou Bezjak
- News Headline Writing: Third — Noah Feit
- Feature Headline Writing: First — Bristow Marchant
- Feature Headline Writing: Second — Staff
- Digital Project: First — “The Demetris Summers story” — Jordan Kaye, Tracy Glantz, Susan Merriam
- Digital Project: Third — “James Brown” — Ted Clifford
- Enterprise Reporting: First — “SC nonprofit got $800K grant to fight crime. Where did the money go?” — Zak Koeske
- Enterprise Reporting: Second — “USC pageant suspended…” — Alexa Jurado
- Investigative Reporting: Second — Charter school spending/sex-misconduct series — Zak Koeske
- Beat Reporting: Third — Crime/courts series — Javon Harris
- Growth and Development Beat: First — Columbia/Lexington growth series — Chris Trainor
- Education Beat Reporting: First — District travel/voucher/landscaping series — Zak Koeske
- Education Beat Reporting : Third — Midlands district budget/safety/board dispute series — Bristow Marchant
- News Feature Writing: Second — “I thought I was gonna die” pit bull attack — John Monk
- Lifestyle Feature Writing: Second — Train‑lover club — Morgan Hughes
- Food Writing: Second — “Connection to your past” Columbia eateries — Chris Trainor
- Arts and Entertainment Writing: Third — Paramedic film feature — Hannah Wade
- Obituary: Third — Abraham the camel — Hannah Wade
- Column Writing: Second — Matt Hall
- Spot Sports Story: Second — TikTok creator banned from Clemson — Chapel Fowler
- Spot Sports Story: Third — Banana Ball tour story — Jackson Castellano, Morgan Hughes, Dwayne McLemore
- Sports Enterprise Reporting: Second — Clemson gymnastics/Amy Smith package — Chapel Fowler
- Sports Enterprise Reporting: Third — “Demetris Summers” series — Jordan Kaye, Tracy Glantz
- Sports Column Writing: Second — Chris Trainor
- Sports Page Design: Second — Sept. 3, 2025, sports front — Staff
- Spot News Photo: Second — USC active-shooter evacuation — Tracy Glantz
- Sports Action Photo: Second — USC vs. Vanderbilt collision — Sam Wolfe
- Sports Action Photo: Third — USC women’s basketball rebound — Tracy Glantz
- Sports Feature Photo: Second — USC women celebrate Final Four berth — Tracy Glantz
- Sports Feature Photo: Third — AC Flora girls soccer title celebration — Jeff Blake
- Pictorial: First — C.A. Johnson baseball dugout image — Joshua Boucher
- Sports Video: First — “Demetris Summers: From promise to prison and toward new beginnings” — Tracy Glantz
- General Excellence: Digital — First — Staff
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