News Associates grad wins SJA Academy Award 2025
News Associates sports journalism course graduate Alice Jackson won the SJA Academy Award at the British Sports Journalism Awards 2025.
The SJA British Sports Journalism Awards recognise the best in the industry and the Academy Award is awarded to journalists with less than one year of full-time work in professional journalism.
Alice now works for Routeler magazine after graduating from our sports journalism course in March 2026.
Alice said: “I really didn’t expect to win, so much so that when a News Associates classmate texted me to say congrats on the nomination, I had to ask what he was talking about!
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“I think this shows that stories are everywhere (not just football!), and staying curious, open-minded, and being willing to do some research is the most important thing.
“The features I submitted focus on how sport always fits into a wider context – ‘how does sport shape people?’ ‘how do people shape sport?’ – these are the kinds of questions I’m really interested in, ones that don’t always require expert sporting analysis!
“Big shout out to the tutors at News Associates for all their support, and especially to Phil Wilkinson for telling me not to give up!”
Chair of judges Miriam Walker-Khan said: “Her cycling content drew upon fresh research and new media trends, and also human interest storytelling, while a feature interview with international hockey player Darcy Bourne demonstrated a deeper understanding of sport as a platform for social change.
“We look forward to following Alice’s career and that of all the shortlisted entries in this category.”
Four of the six journalists in the SJA Academy Award shortlist trained at News Associates – including freelance journalist George Nash who was highly commended.
🚀 The SJA Academy Award, in association with @talkSPORT, is open to anyone with less than one year of full-time experience in professional journalism, or those for whom journalism has never made up their primary source of income.
Shortlisted for the #SJA2025 category are…… pic.twitter.com/5seveoR5Fp
— Sports Journalists (@SportSJA) March 26, 2026
Winning silver in the ‘Ones to Watch – Writing’ category was freelance journalist Um-E-Aymen Babar – her third nomination in the category.
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Fellow News Associates alumni Kit Shepard was also nominated alongside Um-E-Aymen.
Kit, The Times and Sunday Times, is also shortlisted for women’s football writer of the year.
The winners of the ‘Ones to Watch’ and SJA Academy categories at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards are revealed in advance of the awards gala night on Monday, April 27, 2026.
Elsewhere, News Associates graduates Daily Telegraph sports journalist Daniel Schofield and The Times deputy rugby correspondent William Kelleher are nominated in the rugby journalist category.
🏉 High-quality rugby reporting across a range of platforms is recognised in the Rugby Journalist category at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards.
Shortlisted for #SJA2025 are:
Alex Lowe – The Times & Sunday Times
Charlie Morgan – The Telegraph
Daniel Schofield – The… pic.twitter.com/uNNaLnomvt— Sports Journalists (@SportSJA) March 26, 2026
Meanwhile, The Times and Sunday Times Sport podcast, The Red Lions, which Will is a part of, is shortlisted in the audio podcast – limited series category.
And News Associates alumna and freelancer Sirayah Shiraz is named in the broadcast journalist of the year shortlist.
Our sister sports content agency Sportsbeat is nominated for content agency of the year for the second year.
Congratulations to our brilliant team who have been shortlisted for the second consecutive year in the Content Agency category at the British Sports Journalism Awards. #SJA2025
The ‘Oscars’ of our industry, the awards take place next month at the London Palladium. Well done and… pic.twitter.com/hJZ1aJM2iz
— Sportsbeat (@Sportsbeat) March 26, 2026
The SJA Awards 2025 will be held at the London Palladium on Monday, April 27, 2026.