Find Your Voice

In Our Award-Winning Magazine 

Show off your writing skills and sporting know-how. Take part in our Young Sports Journalist competition. And get your writing published in print and online.

Young Sports Journalists of the Year 2026

It’s back again and with good reason. Meet the authors of this year’s very-best think pieces

Stories
Heavy is the Head
Heavy is the Head

Scientists have shown that exercise makes us healthier and leads to a longer life. But at an elite level, the situation can become more complex.

The Real Cost of Betting
The Real Cost of Betting

Such is the nature of greed: as soon as a means of making money is found, it's exploited and thus begins the decay of sporting integrity.

The Beautiful Game's Ugly Bargain
The Beautiful Game's Ugly Bargain

There is something quietly unsettling about watching a footballer pull on a gleaming shirt sponsored by a sovereign wealth fund

Cheating, the Quiet Way
Cheating, the Quiet Way

We say we want clean sport. We demand fairness, integrity, and a level playing field. Yet the way we actually consume sport tells a different story.

More Stories

Pitch magazine is seeking well-argued articles from aspiring journalists aged 14-21.

Winning entries will be published online and in print. So get writing. And enjoy!

Your job is to write a piece, discussing one of the questions listed below. But first, have a look through the competition rules…

SEE RULES

Age 14-15
Is sport damaging athletes’ mental health and well-being?

Age 16-17
Is sports betting undermining the integrity of competition?

Age 18-19
Should ‘sports-washing’ and sponsorship by ethically-questionable bodies be allowed?

Age 20-21
How far is too far in cheating, doping, and rule-bending?

Entry Details:

Find Your Voice

Meet The Judges

  • Guillem Balague

    Guillem Balagué is a Spanish football journalist, author, and pundit. He was a regular pundit on Sky Sports' show Revista de la Liga and has also written for some of Britain's newspapers as well as several Spanish newspapers.

  • Paul Simpson

    Award-winning sports and business writer, Paul writes the most brilliant features for Pitch.

  • Jade Craddock

    Jade has her finger on the pulse of all of today's best sports writing, compiling and choosing our Sports Book Of The Week, and our quarterly round-up of the best sports books.

  • Natalie Pirks

    Natalie Pirks is a Sports Correspondent for BBC Sport, reporting on major international events including the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. She began her career with freelance roles at BBC Radio 1 (Newsbeat) and ITN.

  • Pat Nevin

    Pat Nevin is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger. In a twenty-year career, he appeared for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell.He won 28 caps for Scotland and was selected for the UEFA Euro 1992 finals squad. Since retiring as a player, Nevin has worked as a chief executive of Motherwell and as a football writer and broadcaster.

  • Marshall your arguments. 

  • Assemble the facts.

  • Try writing as if you’re talking to a mate.

  • Keep it simple.

  • Read your piece aloud to yourself.

  • Edit your piece. Then edit it again. And again.

Make your entry stand out with these six top tips from industry experts:

Previous Winners.

  • 14 - 15: Faith Obumuchendu

    “Winning this competition was a huge surprise and an honour. I’d never written about darts before, but I quickly became fascinated by the sport and the intensity behind it. Exploring a completely new topic pushed me creatively, and I really enjoyed bringing that story to life.”

  • 16 - 17: James Parker

  • 18 - 19: Maryam Samy

    “I was really happy to win last year across the UK. My article questioned whether food companies should be sponsoring sports, and I’m glad it started a conversation.”

  • 20 - 21: Markus Conneely

    “I really enjoyed taking part in Pitch Mag's Young Sports Journalist Competition last year. To have the chance to write on a compelling topic that I am passionate about felt very meaningful, particularly as sports writing opportunities for young people are few and far between. The competition is a great way for young writers to show their skills;  good luck to all of this year's participants.”

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