For the second year running the Guardian has joined forces with the Football School series to organise a Young Sportswriter of the Year competition. This exciting contest is aimed at seven- to 12-year-olds in the UK and Ireland and looks to bring out all the creativity, imagination and knowledge we know exists in Key Stage 2 pupils.
Entries should consist of a piece of writing, which can be either a match report of a sporting event that has taken place, or a profile piece about an athlete of their choice. The maximum is 600 words but the article can be shorter and it may be about any sport.
Like last year, there are two age categories: seven-nine and 10-12.
The winners in each age group will get
• Their competition entry published by the Guardian.
• Receive an online writing workshop with a top Guardian sports journalist for their class.
• A £100 sports voucher and all eight books in the Football School book series
The runners-up will also receive a complete series of Football School books. The winners’ announcement will be made in September. The writer must be between seven and 12 years old on the day the piece is submitted and the deadline is at 6pm on Friday 3 July 2020.
The judges include the former Germany defender and World Cup winner Per Mertesacker, the Aston Villa Women’s sporting director and former England forward Eni Aluko, who is also a Guardian columnist, Vic Marks, the Guardian’s cricket correspondent and former cricketer for England and Somerset, and the golfer Georgia Hall, the 2018 British Open winner.
This year the competition opens to both schools and parents, with teachers able to submit multiple entries from their class. Children can find tips on how to write amazing sports articles here.
The mission behind the Football School series is to open up the school curriculum through football and to encourage children to develop a love of reading and a curiosity about the world. Authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton, who are also part of the judges’ panel, said: “We hope this competition will inspire a new generation of sportswriters. We can’t wait to read the entries.”
The Guardian’s football editor, Marcus Christenson, said: “We are delighted to be launching the second Football School/Guardian Young Sportswriter of the Year competition. Last year’s entries were full of positive energy, imagination and wisdom and we expect more of the same this year.”
To see more information and to enter the competition please click here.
The latest book in the Football School series is the Football School Ultimate Puzzle Book and includes football-related logic games, crosswords, riddles and much more. Every Friday at 10am there are live lessons on YouTube.