Panellists Announced for World’s Most Valuable Literary Sports-Writing Prize
A panel of renowned industry experts has been announced for the world’s most valuable literary sports-writing prize—the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Awards.
The Athletic’s Nancy Frostick and Daniel Taylor, and Greatest Hits Radio sports presenter Matt Williams will join Neil Foggin from William Hill to independently review all the entries submitted.
The Awards
More than 30 books have already been submitted and panellists will read every entry received before the 26 August deadline, narrowing entries down into a longlist which will be announced in September.
The awards are dedicated to rewarding excellence in sports writing and, since launching in 1989, have attracted thousands of entries including books by last year’s winner Michael Holding, Nick Hornby, Marcus Trescothick and three-time winner Duncan Hamilton.
Now in its 34th year, organisers are encouraging authors and publishers to enter their sports book into the Awards which has a £30,000 cash prize for the winner.
Prizes
Following a rigorous judging process, the winner will be announced at an official awards ceremony held at BAFTA, London.
As well as the winning prize, shortlisted authors will each receive £3,000 and a leather-bound copy of their book.
Matt Williams
Book review panellist and renowned sports broadcaster, Matt Williams said: “It’s an honour to be alongside a fantastic group of individuals who make up our much-admired panel of experts.
“The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Awards is the most respected prize in the industry championing excellence in the sports literary world. The integrity of the judging process is key and panellists like myself read every book entered.
“For more than three decades, the awards have played a leading role in providing authors with a platform to showcase and promote their books and we expect this year to be our biggest yet.
“It’s not all about whether the book is a best-seller – it’s the writing we’re interested in. We’re not just looking for a well-known author or even a well-known sport, but we want to see books from a diverse cross-section of writers covering a range of subjects.
“We’re incredibly excited for this year’s competition and it’s both a privilege and an honour to be able to judge the exceptional creative minds and writing talents within the sporting industry and celebrate their endeavours.”
Winners
The book review panel will select a longlist in September and the shortlist will be announced late October with the overall winner revealed on 1st December.
Entries are now open. For more information about the awards and to enter, please visit the website.
