Young Sportswriter of the Year – 2021
A shout out to all sports fans aged 7-12!
Do you dream of becoming a sportswriter, commentator or sports presenter in the future? Then this competition could help you reach your goal!
The Guardian has teamed up with the authors of our bestselling Football School book series for a game-changing writing competition. Become our Young Sportswriter of the Year by writing no more than 600 words on a match report on any sporting event that has taken place, or a piece of feature writing about an individual involved in sport. Enter using the form below.
There will be two age categories, 7-9 and 10-12 and the winner of each category will win:
- A once in a lifetime opportunity to get their entry published by The Guardian
- A writing workshop with one of The Guardian’s top sportswriters
- A £100 sports voucher
- The full series of TEN Football School books
There will be two-runners up in each category who will win a Football School book bundle of books.
Our amazing judges this year are former England striker Rachel Yankey, World Cup winner Per Mertesacker, golfer Ian Poulter, Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy, England cricketer Jack Leach, former England rugby player Catherine Spencer, Giro d’Italia cycling champion Tao Geoghegan Hart, Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu, as well as Football School’s Alex and Ben and the Guardian’s football editor Marcus Christenson.
The judges will be looking for a piece of engaging and exciting writing that clearly tells the story of any sports match or sports person’s life and what makes that piece memorable compared to other entries. You can find previous winning entries here:
2020 Winner (7-9): Rebecca Close on Jack Leach’s glasses
2020 Winner (10-12): Eleanor Walsh on Vicky Holland
2019 Winner (7-9): Caleb Waterhouse on Katie Ormerod
2019 Winner (10-12): Billy Taylor on Lebron James
Get yourself ready for the 2021 Young Sportswriter of the Year competition with these great tips from Football School’s own Alex and Ben:
- Tips for budding sportswriters, written by Alex and Ben
- More tips for budding sportswriters, written by Alex and Ben
The competition kicks off on 9 June 2021 and closes at 6pm on 10 August 2021.
The winners and runners up will be announced in September.
By entering the competition you are are confirming that you have read and agreed to the Terms & Conditions.
