News

The 2020 SJA British Sports Journalism Awards winners

Clive Mason, Jonathan Liew, Sky Sports and The Telegraph were the big winners on a very different night at the 2020 British Sports Journalism Awards, sponsored by The National Lottery and Canon.

Mason, from Getty Images, won the Ed Lacey Trophy for SJA Sports Photographer of the Year, sponsored by Canon, and also took the Sports Picture of the Year and Specialist Sports Portfolio awards.

The Guardian’s Liew, 2018 Sports Columnist, was named Sports Writer of the Year and receives the John Bromley Trophy.

ITV’s Steve Scott was awarded Broadcast Journalist of the Year and showed his versatility by also taking the Sports News Reporter accolade in the writing section.

The SJA Sports Newspaper of the Year title went to The Daily Telegraph for a second year in succession. The Sports Network of the Year award was won by Sky Sports.

Peter Drury of Premier League Productions was named Sports Commentator of 2020 while the coveted Sports Presenter category was won by Laura Woods of talkSPORT.

The Sports Pundit award – which went to former cricketer Michael Holding – was chosen by SJA members from the judges’ shortlist.

Traditionally there would have been more than 600 guests at a gala dinner in central London, hosted by Jim Rosenthal. Jim was still very much at the centre of our virtual awards night, which saw the crème-de-la-crème in sports photography, broadcast and writing recognised.

2020 SJA BRITISH SPORTS JOURNALISM AWARDS WINNERS

SJA Sports Writer of the Year (The John Bromley Trophy)
Jonathan Liew – The Guardian

SJA Sports Photographer of the Year (Ed Lacey Trophy), sponsored by
Clive Mason – Getty Images

SJA Broadcast Journalist of the Year
Steve Scott (ITV)

SJA Sports Network of the Year
Sky Sports

SJA Sports Newspaper of the Year
The Telegraph

WRITING AWARDS

Digital Publisher
Winner: CNN Sport
Silver: The Telegraph
Bronze: The Athletic UK

Cricket Journalist
Winner: Nick Hoult – The Telegraph
Silver: Mike Atherton – The Times
Bronze: Ali Martin – The Guardian 

Football Journalist
Winner: Sam Wallace – The Telegraph
Silver: Daniel Taylor – The Athletic UK
Bronze: Henry Winter – The Times

Rugby Journalist
Winner: Nik Simon – The Mail on Sunday
Silver: Daniel Schofield   The Telegraph
Bronze: Stephen Jones – The Sunday Times

Special Sports Edition
Winner: George Floyd 100 Days On: How Sport Has Fought For Change – Sky Sports
Silver: Women’s Sport Monthly – The Telegraph
Bronze: Shutdown – The Telegraph

Specialist Correspondent
Winner: Matt Christie – Boxing News
Silver: Jonathan McEvoy – The Daily Mail
Bronze: Nick Hope – BBC Sport

Sports Feature Writer
Winner: Andy Bull – The Guardian and The Observer
Silver: Daniel Taylor – The Athletic UK
Bronze: Riath Al-Samarrai – The Daily Mail

Sports Scoop
Winner: Project big picture – Sam Wallace – The Telegraph
Silver: Rugby’s dementia crisis – Andy Bull & Michael Aylwin – The Guardian
Bronze: Stars allege abuse at heart of British Gymnastics – Steve Scott – ITV News

Sports Columnist
Winner: Matt Dickinson – The Times
Silver: Mike Atherton – The Times
Bronze: David Walsh – The Sunday Times

Sports News Reporter
Winner: Steve Scott – ITV News
Silver: David Conn – The Guardian
Bronze: Jeremy Wilson – The Telegraph

Young Sports Journalist (Ian Wooldridge Award)
Winner: Katie Whyatt – The Athletic UK
Silver: Tom Kershaw – The Independent
Bronze: Chloe Merrell – GiveMeSport Women 

Regional Journalist
Winner: Jon Colman – News & Star / The Cumberland News
Silver: Neil Allen – Portsmouth News
Bronze: Steven Chicken – Huddersfield Examiner and Yorkshire Live 

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Football Portfolio
Winner: Michael Regan – Getty Images
Silver: Alex Livesey – Getty Images
Bronze: Matt McNulty – Manchester City FC

Specialist Sports Portfolio
Winner: Clive Mason – Getty Images
Silver: Clive Brunskill – Getty Images
Bronze: David Davies – PA Media

Canon Sports Portfolio
Winner: Michael Steele – Getty Images
Silver: Alex Livesey – Getty Images
Bronze: Julian Finney – Getty Images

Sports Picture
Winner: Clive Mason – Getty Images
Silver: Bradley Ormesher – The Times
Bronze: Michael Steele – Getty Images

Away from the Action
Winner: Tom Jenkins – The Guardian
Silver: Marc Aspland – The Times
Bronze: Edward Whitaker – Racing Post

Young Sports Photographer
Winner: Harry Murphy – Sportsfile
Silver: Molly Darlington – Reuters/Action Images
Bronze: Chloe Knott – Danehouse Photography

BROADCAST AWARDS

Sports Network
Winner: Sky Sports
Silver: talkSPORT
Bronze: BT Sport

Broadcast Journalist
Winner: Steve Scott – ITV News
Silver: Sally Nugent – BBC Breakfast / BBC Sport
Bronze: Sonja McLaughlan – BBC Sport

Sports Commentator
Winner: Peter Drury – Premier League Productions
Silver: John Hunt – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bronze: Nick Mullins – ITV Sport

Sports Presenter
Winner: Laura Woods – talkSPORT
Silver: Isa Guha – Whisper
Silver: Mark Chapman – BBC Radio 5 Live

Sports Pundit
Winner: Michael Holding – Sky Sports
Silver: Micah Richards – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bronze: Ebony Rainford-Brent – BBC Radio 5 Live 

Audio / Radio Documentary
Winner: Klopp’s journey: Black Forest hills to Anfield thrills – BBC Sports News
Silver: The Everything is Black and White Podcast – Chronicle Live / Reach PLC
Bronze: Coming In From The Cold – talkSPORT / Unedited Stories

Audio / Radio Live
Winner: England’s Cricket Tour of the Rainbow Nation – talkSPORT
Silver: 5 Live Sport – End of Championship Season – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bronze: Wilder v Fury II – talkSPORT

Audio / Radio Show
Winner: That Peter Crouch Podcast – BBC Radio 5 Live
Silver: White & Jordan – talkSPORT
Bronze: GameDay Exclusive – talkSPORT

Television / Digital Documentary
Winner: Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism & Me – Wonder TV
Silver: Greavsie – BT Sport
Bronze: Rob Burrow: My Year with MND – BBC Sport and BBC Breakfast

Television / Digital Live Event Coverage
Winner: England v West Indies: Black Lives Matter – Sky Sports
Silver: Royal Ascot – ITV Sport
Bronze: Live Premier League Football Returns – Sunset+Vine

Television / Digital Show
Winner: The NFL Show – Whisper
Silver: Ski Sunday – BBC Sport
Bronze: The Ashes: Live Watch-along – Sky Sports
Bronze: C4 Formula One Highlights: Russian Grand Prix – Whisper

One to watch – On Air
Winner: Jaydee Dyer – Sky Sports
Silver: Billy Monger – Whisper
Bronze: Austin Halewood – BBC Sports News

One to watch – Off Air
Winner: Danyal Khan – Sky Sports
Silver: George Cottam – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bronze: Ed Higgs – Sky Sports

Doug Gardner Award
Janine Self

Visit the www.sportsjournalists.co.uk for the latest news and information about the awards, find us on Facebook (sportsjournalistsgb), Twitter (@sportsja) and Instagram (@sjainsta)
Rights-free images from today’s SJA British Sports Journalism Awards are available, please contact James Green from Start2Finish Event Management: james@s2fevents.co.uk.