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Entries open for Student Sportswriter Award

David Welch
David Welch, the former Telegraph sports editor and SJA committee member

Entries are open for the David Welch Student Sportswriter of the Year competition, with a week’s work experience at the Daily Telegraph as the prize for the winner, and the three short-listed entrants invited to the SJA’s British Sports Journalism Awards in London next March, when the prize winner will be announced.

This is the third year that this competition has been staged. Started in memory of the former sports editor of the Daily Telegraph, David Welch, the competition was won in 2012 by Michael Taylor and in 2013 by James Gheerbrant, who had included an article on the Olympics among his entry.

Welch was sports editor of the Telegraph from 1989 to 2004 and the pioneer of the sports supplement, widely copied throughout the industry. He broke the mould of traditional sports reporting, encouraging a greater array of features, columns and writers than had ever been presented in the sports pages. His legacy was evident in the vast and varied coverage achieved by the 2012 London Games.

James Gheerbrant: Student Sports Writer of the Year 2012
James Gheerbrant: Student Sports Writer of the Year 2012

The David Welch Student Sportswriter competition is for full-time students aged between 16 and 25. All entrants must submit three pieces of writing – columns, features or reportage – of no longer than 800 words each.

The closing date for entries is February 10, 2014.

Three shortlisted entrants will be invited to the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards dinner on March 24, and the winner will have their work published on telegraph.co.uk and be offered a week’s work experience at the paper.

  • The SJA is the largest member organisation of sports media professionals in the world. We noew accept Associate Member applications from students and those working in related media business, such as PR. To join us: Click here for more details

UPCOMING SJA EVENTS

2014

Mon Mar 24: SJA British Sports Journalism Awards, Grand Connaught Rooms, London
Mon Apr 14: SJA Spring Golf Day: Croham Hurst GC, Surrey. Booking details to be announced