Entries are now open for the David Welch Student Sports Writer of the Year.
The award is named after the former Daily Telegraph sports editor and SJA committee member. It is free-to-enter for anyone, aged from 16 to 25 in full-time education.
The short-listed entrants will be invited with a guest to attend the SJA’s British Sports Journalism Awards dinner in London on March 23, while the winner will receive a week’s unpaid work experience at the Telegraph.
Last year’s winner was Teddy Cutler, who said, “Trying to open doors into sports journalism as a young person is the most difficult thing.
“Everyone wants to write about sport – because if you can get there, there are few better ways to spend your working life. What the David Welch Award has allowed me to do is gain an entry into that world. If you have won recognition from those working in the industry, people do take notice.
“Being nominated shows that you are on the right path – that a group of people have enjoyed or been moved or interested by what you have written – and surely that’s what any writer is after? Winning the award has also allowed me to pursue what I most love, investigative journalism, through a contact I met on the night itself who has helped me enormously.
“Put simply, for me the David Welch Award was recognition and confirmation that this was what I should be doing with my life.”
All entrants must submit three pieces of writing no longer than 600 words each. They must be on the subject of sport and should take a wide-ranging form. Specifically:
1. Live blogging from an event. It could be hang-gliding, boccia, dressage, as well as the more conventional targets, football, rugby, cricket. Colour, detail and humour welcome.
2. A blog, opinion, report, interview, feature, on any subject either tightly or loosely relevant to sport.
3. A Sporting Top 10. Can be straightforward like the Top 10 female sports performances of 2014 or something far more oblique. Your choice.
The entries must be emailed to entries@davidwelchcompetition.co.uk by March 1 2015.
Important: The three sections of your entry must be included in the body of the email, and not added as attachments.
Entries must begin with name, address, age, and contact number, and include details of educational establishment, a referee from the school or university and their contact details.
The winner will have one of their submissions published on The Telegraph website. They will also be offered a week’s unpaid work experience, culminating in the opportunity to attend a sports event to write their own report, accompanied by one of the newspaper’s journalists.
For more information, visit the award-organisers’ website here. Any enquiries about this award should be sent via that site’s contact page.
- The SJA is the largest member organisation of sports media professionals in the world. Join us: Click here for more details
UPCOMING SJA EVENTS
Mon Mar 23: SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, sponsored by BT Sport, at the Grand Connaught Rooms. Entry forms now available here
Mon Sep 14: SJA Autumn Golf Day, Muswell Hill Golf Club