Five of 10 images shortlisted in Picture category for Canon-sponsored Photography Awards taken at Paris 2024; Lee Smith (Action Images / Reuters) in contention in five categories; nine Ed Lacey Trophy recipients and three former Young Photographer winners also in mix; buy tickets NOW for Awards night on 24 March…
From the gravity-defying grace of gymnast Simone Biles to bodies falling to the floor in a wheelchair basketball match, sensational shots from the Paris Olympics and Paralympics feature strongly in the showpiece Picture category at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards 2024.
In announcing the shortlists for the Photography section, sponsored by Canon UK, chair of judges Paul Ellis described the Picture selection as a particular “delight” as he praised his industry colleagues for producing another stellar set of entries.
With the Olympic and Paralympic Portfolio category also returning to the line-up, there are seven shortlists in total – and at the end of the Awards gala night on Monday 24 March, one stand-out snapper will also be named the SJA Sports Photographer of the Year, taking home the prestigious Ed Lacey Trophy.
Last year’s winner of the top prize was Justin Setterfield, one of nine to have previously got their hands on a “Lacey” who occupies at least one spot on a shortlist this time around.
Meanwhile, three former winners of the Young Sports Photographer (YSP) prize – Naomi Baker, Alex Pantling and Morgan Harlow – are among those in the running for a Picture or Portfolio award.
Another encouraging indicator of industry progress is that women’s representation moves into double figures on the shortlists this year.
Here are the 10 images in contention for SJA Picture of the Year…
Chloe Knott, YSP runner-up at the 2019 Awards, takes two of the 10 berths in Picture, with a ray-of-light Novak Djokovic image up against a diver aesthetically aligned with the Olympic rings.
Baker brings us Biles on the balance beam, while it’s 1988 Lacey winner Michael Steele who took the wheelchair basketball shot at USA v Australia.
Clive Mason sees his image of a stretching Djokovic at the French Open make the shortlist, while also on the Roland Garros clay, wheelchair tennis player Takuya Miki is the subject of an entry from another two-time Sports Photographer of the Year, Tom Jenkins.
Richard Heathcote is a heavyweight in this category too – here, he offers up a Richard Riakporhe uppercut – as is David Davies, the 2021 Lacey victor, who serves up a slice of European Rugby Champions Cup action from Bath vs Racing 92.
Completing the 10-strong line-up are a pair of aerial views – Dan Mullan at the Olympic women’s volleyball final, and Lee Smith tracking open-water swimmer Fenwick Ridley through the ice.
Ellis – a former chair of the British Press Photographers’ Association – said: “Picture is the judges’ favourite category, but usually the hardest to judge! Striking, well-thought-out images dominate again this year.
“Hard work from the photographers really did pay off with great preparation, excellent composition and use of light. It was a delight to feel so close to the action in many of these images.”
Runners and riders
Action Images/Reuters’ Smith also appears on four other category shortlists, including News Picture, which has been whittled down to six entries going for glory.
His is from England’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in Berlin. Jenkins, a previous winner of this category, captures Imane Khelif’s Olympic gold-medal celebration, while we go inside the boxing ring for former Lacey winner Richard Pelham’s pivotal Wembley moment from Joshua vs Dubois.
Ian MacNicol and Hannah McKay offer up two more Paris 2024 champions in Keely Hodgkinson and Biles respectively, with Anna Gowthorpe’s bloodied fan at West Brom v Wolves in the FA Cup completing the category.
McKay is also vying for the Olympic and Paralympic Portfolio award, alongside the aforementioned Mason (winner after Rio 2016), Mullan, Davies and Steele, plus Ryan Browne (Shutterstock) who is a first-time shortlistee at the SJAs.
PA’s racing expert Davies goes for his second Phil Sheldon Trophy in Specialist Portfolio, as does Philip Brown (cricket) – both were contenders in the category last year too. Harlow (netball), Smith (boxing), 2018 Lacey winner Mark Thompson (F1) and Alex Whitehead (cycling) complete the set.
Davies and Smith also appear on the Canon Portfolio shortlist, alongside Knott and three from the Getty Images stable – Mason, Pantling and Carl Recine.
The latter two are up for Football Portfolio with Recine named alongside two other previous winners of the category, Setterfield and Smith. Two-time Lacey recipient Adrian Dennis retains his soccer spot from last year, while Mullan returns to this shortlist for the first time since 2016.
This award will henceforth carry the title of ‘The Matthew Ashton Trophy’ in memory of the late football photographer, who died in January at the age of 53.
Finally, the YSP category once again provides an exciting showcase. Part of it for the third time in a row is George Wood, whose portfolio – like those of his Getty colleague Alex Davidson and PA’s Bradley Collyer, both also shortlisted last year – comes from a variety of sports.
Freelancers Megan Dent and Harriet Lander submitted images from horse racing and football respectively, with Manchester City club photographer Isaac Parkin also in contention for a trophy that comes with a bonus prize – an EOS R3 camera worth £5,000, courtesy of sponsors Canon UK.
Ellis said: “Once again, the judges had a very difficult task judging the YSP category, with several photographers standing out from the rest, demonstrating incredible talent and commitment.
“Any of the shortlisted entries stand a chance of taking the prize. The amount of emerging talent in this country is very encouraging. It was great to see sports specialists and those working across several sports shortlisted.”
Click here to see all the images from the shortlisted Photography entries
The winners of the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, sponsored by Canon UK, will be announced at a gala ceremony taking place at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on the evening of Monday, 24 March 2025.
Tickets and tables are available to purchase NOW via the Awards website.
CANON SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The Ed Lacey Trophy is awarded to the photographer who, in the opinion of the judges, has been the overall best sports photographer of 2024 and has demonstrated an outstanding range of photographic skills.
This will be judged on submitted entries into the categories listed below.
All other awards are subject to entered submissions which are then put before our panel of experienced judges.
CANON BRITISH SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2024 – CATEGORY SHORTLISTS
CANON PORTFOLIO
Alex Pantling – Getty Images
Carl Recine – Getty Images
Chloe Knott – Freelance
Clive Mason – Getty Images
David Davies – PA Media
Lee Smith – Action Images Reuters
FOOTBALL PORTFOLIO (MATTHEW ASHTON TROPHY)
Adrian Dennis – AFP
Alex Pantling – Getty Images
Carl Recine – Getty Images
Daniel Mullan – Getty Images
Justin Setterfield – Getty Images
Lee Smith – Action Images Reuters
SPECIALIST PORTFOLIO (PHIL SHELDON TROPHY)
Alex Whitehead – SWpix
David Davies – PA Media
Lee Smith – Action Images Reuters
Mark Thompson – Getty Images
Morgan Harlow – Freelance
Philip Brown – Freelance
OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC PORTFOLIO
Clive Mason – Getty Images
Daniel Mullan – Getty Images
David Davies – PA Media
Hannah McKay – Reuters
Michael Steele – Getty Images
Ryan Browne – Shutterstock
NEWS PICTURE
Anna Gowthorpe – Shutterstock
Hannah McKay – Reuters
Ian MacNicol – Freelance
Lee Smith – Action Images Reuters
Richard Pelham – Getty Images
Tom Jenkins – The Guardian
PICTURE
Chloe Knott – Freelance
Chloe Knott – Freelance
Clive Mason – Getty Images
Dan Mullan – Getty Images
David Davies – PA Media
Lee Smith – Action Images Reuters
Michael Steele – Getty Images
Naomi Baker – Getty Images
Richard Heathcote – Getty Images
Tom Jenkins – The Guardian
CANON YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER
Alex Davidson – Getty Images
Bradley Collyer – PA Media
George Wood – Getty Images
Harriet Lander – Freelance
Isaac Parkin – Manchester City
Megan Dent – Freelance
The winner of the Canon Young Photographer of the Year Award will be announced on the SJA website on March 10.
All those shortlisted for the Canon Young Photographer Award will be contacted shortly and invited to attend the awards as a guest of the SJA.
- What happened in Photography last year
- View all the images in our Photography Awards gallery
- About the British Sports Journalism Awards
- Past winners
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