Awards open for Young Writers on Horseracing aged between 11 and 25

The National Horseracing Museum has announced the launch of the second year of the Awards for Young Writers on Horseracing, open to 11 to 25-year-olds living in the UK.

The purpose of the awards is to encourage sports journalism writing and the winning entries will be published in full by the Racing Post.

The awards are sponsored by The Wilmington Trust and are separated into two categories:

The winner of the under 16s category will receive £250 in prize money, while £500 will be awarded to the winner of the under 26s section. All finalists receive a Certificate of Participation.

Last year’s winner in the 11 to 15 years category was 11-year-old Charlotte Cornish, whose piece A Second Chance covered the retraining of racehorses and met with wide acclaim.

The awards supersede the Martin Wills Prize which launched the career of the BBC equestrian commentator Nick Luck (a trustee of the National Horseracing Museum, and eight times winner of the Horserace Writers’ & Photographers’ Association “Broadcaster of the Year”).

Submitted essays will be judged by specialists from the media and horseracing industry, including David Milnes from the Racing Post, Oli Bell and Rishi Persad from ITV Racing, and Josie Reed from the Wilmington Trust.

A prize ceremony for shortlisted entries and winners will be held at the National Horseracing Museum, in Newmarket, in Spring 2025, with invitees being given a complimentary family pass to the museum.

The closing date for entries is midnight on January 14, 2025. To enter or to find out more, email essayprize@nhrm.co.uk or visit the National Horseracing Museum website at: www.nhrm.co.uk