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Walker Books is launching its third Young Sportswriter of the Year competition in partnership with the Guardian, and with the Football School series of books.
Open from today (Wednesday 9th June), the sports writing competition encrouaged children to write a 600-word piece on a match or sports event, or to compose a profile about a a sports person of their choosing. The winner will see their entry published by the Guardian, an online writing workshop with a top Guardian sports journalist for their class, a £100 sports voucher and the full series of ten Football School books, written by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton, and illustrated by Spike Gerrell.
The competition is split in to two age categories, including seven to nine-year-olds and 10 to 12 year-olds. There will be one winner and two runners up from each age group, announced in September. The competition is organised in partnership with the School Library Association (SLA) to encourage schools to get involved and submit entries from their classes.
Entries can be submitted from 9th June until 6pm on 10th August. Entries will then be sent to competition judges who will include former England striker Rachel Yankey, World Cup winner Per Mertesacker, golfer Ian Poulter, Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy, England cricketer Jack Leach, former England rugby player Catherine Spencer, Giro d’Italia cycling champion Tao Geoghegan Hart, Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu, as well as Football School’s Alex and Ben and the Guardian’s football editor Marcus Christenson.
Christenson added: "I am delighted that we have so many high-profile judges from different sports this year, including Ian Poulter and Lotte Wubben-Moy. The richness and inspiration of the pieces from the first two years bode well for the future of sports journalism in this country and I am excited to see if this year's entries can match them in quality. I am sure they will."
In a joint statement, Lyttleton and Bellos said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Guardian for the third year of the Young Sportswriter of the Year competition. Sport has so many amazing stories and we know it can inspire and expand young minds - and with so many great sports events coming up this summer, we cannot wait to read this year’s entrants!”
Football School Terrific Teams: 50 True Stories of Football’s Greatest Sides will publish in July and is the 10th title in the series.