David Powell, the former athletics correspondent for The Times, has been shortlisted for a journalism award – as a weekly newspaper sports writer of the year.
Powell took redundancy from Wapping in 2007 after 17 years as the paper’s correspondent, and following several years working on the sportsdesk, with a view to freelancing while living the country life in Devon.
His new work has taken him from Parracombe to New York, where he has branched out into daily livestreaming from last October’s marathon. Now, his weekly column in the North Devon Journal has seen Powell, 59, a former official at the British Athletics Writers’ Association, named among the six short-listed entries in the Regional Press Awards.
Other familiar names in the shortlists include Jon Colman and Amanda Little, the duo from Cumbria who regularly feature among the leading contenders for the SJA’s Regional Sports Writer title, and Martin Smith, of The Star, Sheffield, the SJA’s 2010 Regional Sports Writer of the Year.
Sports sections and pull-outs – the Oxford Mail’s Sportsdesk and the Irish News’s supplement on the All-Ireland football final – also feature on the shortlist for Special Supplement of the Year.
The Regional Press Awards, now run by the Society of Editors, will be presented at a ceremony in London on May 11.
The shortlists for sports writing categories in the Regional Press Awards are:
Daily/Sunday sports journalist of the year
Paul Abbandonato – Media Wales
Jon Colman – News and Star, Carlisle
Andy Cryer – Lancashire Telegraph
John Gibson – Evening Chronicle, Newcastle
James Robson – Manchester Evening News
Martin Smith – The Star, Sheffield
Anthony Vickers – Evening Gazette, Middlesbrough
Weekly sports journalist of the year
Jon Colman – The Cumberland News
Chris Harby – Melton Times
Amanda Little – The Cumberland News
Eric Mackinnon – West Lothian Courier
Colin Paterson – Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
David Powell – North Devon Journal
For the full set of lists, visit the Press Gazette website here
UPCOMING SJA DATES
Wed Apr 13: SJA 2011 Annual Meeting, at offices of UK Sport, Russell Square. Strictly SJA members only.
Wed Dec 7: SJA 2011 British Sports Awards – note the date in your diary now.
All details subject to alteration. Keep checking sportsjournalists.co.uk for updates