Paul Hayward was named Sports Writer of 2015, his third such award, at a gala dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, tonight.
The winner of this prestigious British Sports Journalism prize is chosen by a panel of national and regional heads of sport and sports editors. 
The Daily Mail was voted by a similar panel as Sports Newspaper of the Year for the third successive year.
Alan Crowhurst of Getty Images was crowned Sports Photographer of the Year for his outstanding portfolio of work covering the Sport of Kings.
In the broadcast section of the gala dinner, sponsored by BT Sport, veteran sports broadcaster Martin Tyler was named the SJA’s Sports Commentator of the Year, being described as the “voice of football”.
Tyler’s Sky Sports colleague, Ian Ward, took the Broadcast Sports Presenter award and the sports satellite channel were declared best TV Sport Live Broadcast winners for their Ashes coverage.
BBC Sport’s Richard Conway was named Broadcast Sports Journalist of the Year for his much-praised reporting of the scandals in FIFA and the IAAF across three platforms – radio, TV and online.
Local radio out-did the national broadcasters in the Radio Sport Documentary, where BBC Radio Leeds were highly praised for its programme on the Bradford City fire.
And a pair of independent film makers, Sam Collins and Jarrod Kimber, also saw off better-known challengers with their gripping feature-length Television Sport Documentary, Death of a Gentleman.
Back to the writing categories where Daniel Taylor was named the SJA’s Football Journalist of the Year for his work for The Guardian and The Observer. One of the judges in this category commented: “Taylor’s work is exceptional. It’s deep, it’s well-informed, and it’s easy to read.”
Alan Dymock, features writer for Rugby World, is the Rugby Journalist of the Year. His 2015 portfolio of work was, in the words of one of the judges, “full of fresh ideas, even though he was competing in Rugby World Cup year with a big and talented range of correspondents on the nationals”.
Alan Crowhurst has been working as a sports photographer since he had pictures from Hove greyhound races published in the Racing Post in 1990.
He has worked widely since, across many sports, though at first mainly football and rugby, and as a freelancer for many outlets, including the Press Association, the Sunday Mirror, News of the World, and Rugby World and L’Equipe.
There were two new photography categories at the SJA British Sports Photography Awards this year, the Football Picture of the Year, which was won by John Sibley, and a Rugby World Cup Portfolio, which went to Andrew Boyers.
Sibley’s picture, the judges said, was “stunning” and “captures the intensity of a Premier League game. … a well-deserved winner”.
Both Sibley and Boyers work for Action Images, and that agency picked up a third winning award through Carl Recine’s punchy Sports Picture of the Year.
- Sibley’s football shot hits the back of the awards net
- Award gives Tyler something to shout about
- Six of the best from photographer Crowhurst
- Hayward is Sports Writer of the Year for third time
- SJA Awards toast great McIlvanney’s career
- President to call for more entries from women
- 2015 shortlists – Broadcast / Writing / Photography
THE SJA WINNERS 2015
SJA Sports Writer of the Year
Paul Hayward – The Telegraph
SJA Sports Newspaper of the Year
Daily Mail
Sports Photographer of the Year
Alan Crowhurst – Getty Images
Sports Commentator
Winner: Martin Tyler – Sky Sports
Highly Commended: John Hunt – BBC Radio 5Live
Highly Commended: Clive Tyldesley – ITV Sport
Cricket Journalist
Winner: Michael Atherton – The Times
Highly Commended: Nick Hoult – The Telegraph
Highly Commended: Jonathan Liew – The Telegraph
Football Journalist
Winner: Daniel Taylor – The Guardian
Highly Commended: Oliver Kay – The Times
Highly Commended: Jeremy Wilson – The Telegraph
Investigative Sports Reporter
Winner: Jonathan Calvert, George Arbuthnot, David Collins, The Insight Team – Sunday Times
Highly Commended: Owen Gibson – The Guardian
Highly Commended: Jeremy Wilson – The Telegraph
Laureus Sports Website
Winner: The Guardian
Highly Commended: The Telegraph
Highly Commended: The Times
Multi-Media Sports Package
Winner: Sky Sports – The Ashes
Highly Commended: The Telegraph – Rugby World Cup
Regional Sports Journalist
Winner: James Olley – Evening Standard
Highly Commended: Chris Wathan – Media Wales
Highly Commended: William Watt –The Gazette (Blackpool)
Rugby Journalist
Winner: Alan Dymock – Rugby World
Highly Commended: Mick Cleary – The Telegraph
Highly Commended: Rob Kitson – The Guardian
Special Sports Edition
Winner: Sunday Times – England’s exit from the Rugby World Cup
Highly Commended: Bath Chronicle
High Commended: Rugby World
Ladbrokes Specialist Correspondent
Winner: Alastair Down – Racing Post
Highly Commended: Martha Kelner – Mail on Sunday / Daily Mail
Highly Commended: Lee Mottershead – Racing Post
Specialist Sports Website
Winner: Racing UK
Sports Columnist
Winner: Matthew Syed – The Times
Highly Commended: Matt Dickinson – The Times
Highly Commended: Paul Hayward – The Telegraph
Sports Feature Writer
Winner: David Walsh – The Sunday Times
Highly Commended: Martin Samuel – Daily Mail
Highly Commended: Matthew Syed – The Times
Sports News Reporter
Winner: Matt Lawton – Daily Mail / Mail on Sunday
Highly Commended: Ben Rumsby – The Telegraph
Highly Commended: Charles Sale – Daily Mail
Sports Scoop
Winner: Jonathan Calvert, George Arbuthnot, David Collins, The Insight Team – Sunday Times “Doping Scandal: Sport’s Dirtiest Secrets”
Highly Commended: Matt Law – The Telegraph “Eva Carneiro braced for axe from Chelsea bench”
Highly Commended: Martyn Ziegler – Press Association “Fifa in fresh turmoil”
Ian Wooldridge Young Sports Writer of the Year
Winner: Daniel Johnson – The Telegraph
Highly Commended: Teddy Cutler – Freelance
Highly Commended: Jack Gaughan – Daily Mail / Mail Online
David Welch Student Sports Writer of the Year
Winner: James Lorenzo, Durham University
Highly Commended: Dan Godfrey, Huddersfield University
Highly Commended: Charlie Wood, St Andrew’s University
Broadcast Sports Presenter
Winner: Ian Ward – Sky Sports
Highly Commended: Mark Pougatch – ITV Sport
Highly Commended: Jeff Stelling – Sky Sports
Broadcast Journalist
Winner: Richard Conway – BBC Sport
Highly Commended: Gabriel Clarke – ITV Sport
Highly Commended: Paul Kelso – Sky News
Radio Sport Documentary
Winner: Valley Parade: The Bradford City Fire Remembered – BBC Radio Leeds
Highly Commended: The Blind Faithful – BBC Radio 5Live
Highly Commended: Cantona’s Kung Fu Kick – BBC Radio 5Live
Radio Sport Live Broadcast
Winner: Rugby World Cup – BBC Radio 5Live
Highly Commended: Live@Wimbledon Radio – IMG Media
Highly Commended: The Island Games – BBC Radio Jersey
Television Sport Documentary
Winner: Death of a Gentleman – Sam Collins and Jarrod Kimber
Highly Commended: Catch Me If You Can – BBC Panorama
Highly Commended: One Day in May – BT Sport
Television Sport Live Broadcast
Winner: The Ashes – Sky Sports
Highly Commended: England vs France – ITV Sport
Highly Commended: FA Cup Final – BBC Sport
Sports Photographer of the Year
Alan Crowhurst – Getty Images
Football Picture
Winner: John Sibley – Action Images
Highly Commended: Richard Heathcote – Getty Images
Highly Commended: Kirsty Wigglesworth – Associated Press
Rugby World Cup Portfolio
Winner: Andrew Boyers – Action Images
Highly Commended: Rebecca Naden – Reuters
Highly Commended: Paul Thomas – Freelance
Specialist Sports Portfolio
Winner: Alan Crowhurst – Getty Images
Highly Commended: Philip Brown – Reuters
Highly Commended: Peter Spurrier – Freelance
Sports Picture
Winner: Carl Recine – Action Images
Highly Commended: Tom Jenkins – The Guardian and Observer
Highly Commended: Jordan Mansfield – Getty Images
Sports Portfolio
Winner: Adrian Dennis – AFP
Highly Commended: Eddie Keogh – Reuters
Highly Commended: Daniel Mullan – Getty Images
- Rights-free images from tonight’s SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, sponsored by BT Sport, are available from Getty Images.
- For media enquiries regarding the SJA awards, contact Tom Knight – 07836 298874
- The SJA is the largest member organisation of sports media professionals in the world. Join us: Click here for more details
- This year, the SJA’s nominated good cause is The Journalists’ Charity. To find out more and how you can donate on a one-off or regular basis, go to www.journalistscharity.org.uk