The most prestigious literary prize in the sporting world, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, has announced its esteemed judging panel for this year’s competition – with leading broadcaster Gabby Logan joining the line-up.
The William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award was established in 1989 and recognises outstanding writing across a wide range of genres within the sporting world and has earnt its reputation as one of the most coveted literary honours celebrating sports writers worldwide. Gabby joins Alyson Rudd, Dame Heather Rabbatts, Michelle Walder, Mark Lawson and Clarke Carlisle, who all return from last year’s panel and will select the William Hill Sports Book of the Year shortlist and ultimately crown the Award’s 36th winner.
Former gymnast and esteemed television and radio presenter Gabby Logan joins as a judge for the first time. Having presented various high-profile sporting events across multiple disciplines such as the Olympics, the World Cup, the European Championship and BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year, Gabby is extremely well-versed in all things sport and, as a former athlete herself, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this year’s panel, having also released her own memoir, “The First Half”, last year.
Alyson Rudd, award-winning sports journalist at The Times, returns to lead the panel as Chair for the sixth year in a row. Alyson has authored two sports books herself alongside two novels, is a qualified football coach and referee and has extensive experience in the field to make her an ideal choice to guide the panel in their quest to identify the finest sports book of the year yet again.
Dame Heather Rabbatts returns as a judge for the second time, bringing her considerable expertise to the panel. Renowned for her groundbreaking tenure as the first female Director of the Football Association, she has been instrumental in catalysing change within the sports industry. With her deep insight into the sports landscape, she offers value and proficiency to this year’s judging panel.
Michelle Walder, a non-executive board member at Brighton and Hove Albion FC and chair of their Women’s team, resumes her role as a judge for the third consecutive year. Since 2004, she has successfully operated her own business focusing on leadership and coaching and, with extensive experience in the sporting sector, Michelle brings invaluable insight to the task of whittling down this year’s nominees into the final shortlist and ultimately the crowning of this year’s winner.
Broadcaster, writer, and journalist Mark Lawson rejoins the panel this year. As a theatre critic for The Tablet, as well as being a critic and feature writer for The Guardian, his expertise in storytelling bolsters the panel’s assets by bringing an additional facet to their existing strengths. With six books of his own, Mark has expressed his admiration for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, describing being a judge as one of his top ambitions in sports.
Completing the lineup of judges is Clarke Carlisle, having transitioned from football to becoming a prominent broadcaster, his perspective as a former athlete-turned-commentator adds a distinctive angle to the judging panel. With nearly two decades of experience in football across all four professional English divisions, Clarke brings a profound understanding of the sport’s intricacies. As a regular football pundit and co-commentator, his insights into the sporting world are invaluable during the selection process. While Clarke made his debut as a judge back in 2012, he temporarily stepped down in 2013 to pen his autobiography, “A Footballer’s Life”, which earned a place on the 2014 longlist for the Award.
The judges will whittle down the longlist throughout the month into a final shortlist which will be announced on 31st October. The official awards ceremony will take place on 19th November in which the winner will be announced. The author will receive both the coveted William Hill Sports Book of the Year trophy as well as £30,000 in cash, whilst the rest of the shortlisted authors will receive a leather-bound copy of their book along with £3,000 in cash each.
Lee Phelps, spokesperson for William Hill, said: “We’re delighted to announce we’ve got a host of familiar faces returning to the judging panel for this year’s edition of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, the 36th renewal of our prestigious literary prize – with brand new judge, Gabby Logan, joining the line-up.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome Gabby to the panel and we have no doubt she’ll bring her renowned sports knowledge and industry experience to the table when selecting which books make the shortlist alongside the rest of the judges. We’re also happy to confirm that Alyson Rudd returns for the sixth year running as Chair of the judging panel to guide them throughout the process.
“Dame Heather Rabbatts, Michelle Walder, Mark Lawson and Clarke Carlisle have all been confirmed as returning judges. I sat in on the judging last year and it’s a fascinating and robust process. The six-strong panel will all be putting their heads together to sift through this year’s entries in order to whittle them down into a shortlist and ultimately decide whose book is deserving of the big prize come the Awards Ceremony later this year.”
Alyson Rudd, Chair of the judging panel, said: “I am excited as ever to return as the Chair of Judging for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024. This is my sixth year being the Chair of the panel and I can’t wait to explore more of what the world of sports books has to offer. I love literary awards and because I work in sport, this competition is perfect.
“The Award celebrates the power of storytelling and, whilst sport is a huge field, entries are quite intimate and stories very personal so to be leading our diverse panel of judges as we read these exceptional stories yet again is a huge honour.
“I keep coming back year after year because the standard has improved. In this competition we want to see good writing, writing that stirs the soul and, regardless of the subject matter, would stand in competition with any other genre. I keep coming back because it keeps getting better.”
