British entrants Will Palmer and Anthony Hanc place highly in Young Reporter – Photography category at AIPS Sport Media Awards; gala ceremony for eighth edition of annual event held in Lausanne; Audio duo Adam Leventhal and Abi Paterson, and Video Documentary contender Ian Brackley, take bronze medals…
British photographers Will Palmer and Anthony Hanc have both been recognised on the international stage for their excellent work, with Top 5 placings at the annual AIPS Sport Media Awards.
Will and Anthony finished fourth and fifth respectively in the Young Reporter – Photography category. The gala evening for the annual Awards was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 10, as part of the AIPS Congress.
The duo were among 32 UK entries to make it to the shortlisted stage.
Initially, 88 entries submitted by British sports writers, broadcasters and photographers were longlisted for the eighth edition of the Awards, which celebrates excellence in the industry from across the globe.
Will, from York, is a previous winner of the Young Reporter – Photography category, taking the honours in Seoul three years ago.
His entry this time was titled ‘Ripped with Glory’ and was taken at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September.
Will told the SJA website: “My frame captures Oblique Seville of Jamaica in a moment of raw emotion as he rips his shirt in celebration after winning the 100m final in Tokyo.
“Anticipating a reaction such as this from earlier rounds, I positioned myself beyond the finish to frame a cleaner, more unique view of a celebration with a less distracting background.
“To create this whilst part of the World Athletics Media Academy, and to place fourth at the AIPS Sport Media Awards this weekend after winning in 2023, is a privilege I’m incredibly proud of.”
For London-based photographer Anthony, it was his first time applying for the AIPS Awards.
He said: “I’m honoured to have finished fifth in this category, alongside such a talented field of sports journalists.
“My submission, ‘To Infinity and Beyond’, captures Mariela Perez competing in the women’s shot put final at the FISU World University Games 2025 in Germany, where I was fortunate to be part of the Young Photographers Programme.
“Being involved in the Games provided an invaluable opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals, while also developing my skills with fellow participants and mentors at an international level.
“No two days were the same, from covering new sports and disciplines to constantly challenging myself to improve both technically and creatively.”
Anthony shared the story of his superb shot of the Chilean thrower, taken at the Lohrheidestadion in Bochum.
“This image was captured during one of our daily assignments at the FISU World University Games 2025, where we were encouraged to explore new sports and take on specific creative challenges to develop our understanding.
“On this particular day, I was assigned to athletics, with a brief focused on capturing officials in action while still conveying a sense of story.
“Although that brief does not directly define the final image, it influenced my positioning and approach. The lighting was particularly favourable, with a soft, overcast sky providing a neutral backdrop, while sunlight cut in from the side to illuminate key details.”
Picking up trophies on the night in person in Lausanne were The Athletic journalist Adam Leventhal and Ian Brackley, development and exec produce for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.
Adam won the Writing Best Colour Piece category last year, and this time he was a podium finisher in the Audio category. He was recognised with his former Athletic colleague Abi Paterson, now of talkSPORT, for “The Story of the Guinea Stadium Disaster.”
Brackley, who works for Warner Bros. Discovery, took third for “Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds,” a joint production by WBD, the Olympic Channel, and Western Edge Pictures.
There was also a ‘Special Mention for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion’ for UK entrant Stuart Pollitt of Restless Films, for the documentary “Unstoppable Determination” about the Slovakian Special Olympics skier Michal Dolinsky.
Other previous UK winners at the AIPS Sport Media Awards include photographer Sam Barnes, CNN writer Jack Bantock, Kate Rowan (Telegraph), Dina Asher-Smith (Telegraph column) and Suzy Wrack (The Guardian).
For this edition, the free-to-enter Awards received nearly 2,000 submissions representing 130 nationalities. They are lucrative as well as prestigious, with prizes of US $5,000 (1st), $3,000 (2nd) and $2,000 (3rd) on offer for those who finish in the main category podium places.
Here are the AIPS Sport Media Awards 2025 categories in which UK entrants were shortlisted, with their names and other info. Follow the links in the category titles to see entry details in full…
- Carys Wall, Jac Philimore – Bill Walton’s The Grateful Team – Bespoken Media
- Adam Leventhal – The story of the Guinea stadium disaster – a special episode of The Athletic FC podcast – The Athletic
- James Montague – Ghost Cities FC – BBC World Service
- Andrew Boyers, Game Changers – Action Images / Reuters
- Andy Couldridge, Andy Couldridge Sports Folio – Reuters
- Adrian Dennis, Light work- AO Tennis – AFP
- Julian Finney, Sport Portfolio – Getty Images
- Patrick McCann, Thoroughbreds – Racing Post
- Jonathan Moscrop, 90Minutes – Getty Images/Sportimage UK
- Lee Smith, Saddle up – Action Images/Reuters
- Mickael Chavet, 0.02sec – Zuma Press
- Mike Egerton, PSG Celebration – PA Media
- Ian Macnicol, Weiyi Yuan – Getty Images
- Phil Noble, Salah selfie – Reuters
- Carl Recine, Mo’s Selfie – Getty Images
- Oli Scarff, Kinder Downfall – AFP
- Steve Bower – The BIG Interview: Micky van de Ven – IMG/Premier League
- Rob Harris – The life of silent hero Diogo Jota – Sky News
- Theo Lee Ray – Beacon of Hope: The Grenfell Athletic Story – TNT Sports / Warner Bros. Discovery
- Joe Wilson – Special Olympics – The World in Turin – BBC News / BBC iPlayer / BBC Breakfast
- Nick Hope – From screaming sibling to boxing brilliance – the Ruby White story – SportsAid
- Stuart Pollitt – Unstoppable Determination – Restless Films
- Natalie Berry, In the Shadow of the Mountain – The Fence
- Oliver Brown, I sat in the front row for Gazza’s show and saw a fragile soul laid bare – The Daily Telegraph
- Adam Leventhal, Guinea stadium disaster special report: ‘This door here, it’s the door to hell’ – The Athletic
- Sid Lowe, Santi Cazorla and Real Oviedo pull off the most romantic of returns to La Liga – The Guardian / ESPN
- Andy McGrath, The Fully Circle – Alvento
- Hannah Ryan, Is this English soccer club the next Wrexham story? – CNN
- Tom Williams, Inside Nabil Bentaleb’s incredible comeback after cardiac arrest: ‘It’s not about how you fall, but – The Athletic
- Anthony Hanc, To Infinity and Beyond – Anthony Hanc
- Will Palmer, Ripped with Glory – Will Palmer Photography / www.will-palmer.co.uk
AIPS Sport Media Awards news index (AIPS Media)
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