Brighton student duo among UK best at football writer awards

MA Sport Journalism student Colin D'Cunha was runner-up in the Unheard Voices category at the Football Writers Association Awards – a new category created this year in conjunction with the Kick It Out anti-racism initiative to help widen the diversity of those reporting on football.

BA Sport Journalism student Emillia Hawkins, meanwhile, was among the top 10 picked out for the Vikki Orvice Student Writer of the Year – a category for women reporters, named after the journalist who became the first woman football writer at a British tabloid, working at The Sun until her death in 2019.

Owen Evans, Course Leader for Sport Journalism, and Senior Lecturer in the School of Art and Media at the University of Brighton, said: “Millie and Colin fully deserve this recognition for their hard work. As well as excellent reporters, they have both demonstrated impressive initiative, securing industry experience at The Sun and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.

Colin D'Cunha

Emillia Hawkins

"It's particularly pleasing for the nominations to come in the Vikki Orvice and Unheard Voices awards, as our course is committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity in sport media."

Speaking about the award recognition, Colin said: “I really didn't expect to finish in the top two in the country for a national student sports writing award - but the guidance of our sport journalism lecturer Owen Evans was pivotal in the direction I took for the piece I submitted.

“A year ago, I was in Mumbai waiting to hear back from the university about my application. To be at The Amex stadium in the press box and cover games from a journalist's point of view is an incredible experience - all thanks to the University of Brighton."

Emillia Hawkins said: "It's an honour to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award, especially given how many entries there were. I submitted a piece last year but didn't make the cut, so it feels great to progress this time. I’ve really learned a lot on my course over the past year.”

There were over 700 entries in the three student categories at the awards, which were judged by a panel including former Chelsea and Scotland star Pat Nevin and current BBC Match of the Day commentator Jacqui Oatley.

Students entered a single piece of work up to 800 words based on an open brief to write about any football-focused experience. Colin, for example, wrote about watching the Carabao Cup final at The Font in Brighton – a 17th century chapel turned into a pub. “That was a surreal experience for me as a Liverpool fan from India,” he reveals. “The whole screening was like attending Easter Mass complete with a choir and everything!” Read Colin's piece on the FWA awards page.

Emillia, by contrast, provided an intriguing delve into lower league life with her piece on an unexpected link between Littlehampton Town and Wembley Stadium. Read Emillia's feature on the FWA awards page.