Evie Ashton, a recent graduate of Sports Journalism MA at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, has won the NCTJ Student Sports Journalism Award, recognising her as a promising and emerging talent in the field.
The National Council for the Training Journalist (NCTJ) Awards for Excellence recognises young journalists making an impact through their coverage of pressing social issues, global events, and local stories.
Evie’s winning article, which delves into Olympic swimmer, James Guy’s, late ADHD diagnosis and his experience with health anxiety, earned high praise for its insightful approach to mental health in sport.
The award, sponsored by Sky Sports News, was presented to Evie by Alex Crawford, special corresponded for Sky News. This latest accolade follows Evie’s earlier triumph in winning the Young Journalist category at the ECB Domestic Cricket Journalism Awards, where the judging panel was ‘highly impressed’ with ‘her willingness to tackle difficult issues with both flair and journalistic discipline’.
Speaking on winning the awards, Evie said, "I am beyond thrilled. It means a lot to be recognised for covering historically marginalised issues in sport, such as disability and LGBT+ experiences.
I'm grateful to my St Mary's lecturers for building my confidence in working in sports media and digital skills, and the Sports Gazette for giving me an outlet to improve on creative and critical writing."
Image: Eduardo Tansley, Laura Howard, Evie Ashton
Evie wasn’t the only St Mary’s Sport Journalism MA student to gain recognition at the NCTJ Awards:
Associate lecturer at St Mary’s and award-winning sports journalist, Dan Gallan, expressed his pride in the students: "It's brilliant seeing so many St Mary's students recognised for their excellent work over the years. I can't remember who told us that we're like the La Masia of the sports journalism world, but it's a line I feel vindicated using.
All these years later and I'm still chuffed when I won at the NCTJ Awards, and I feel equal pride every time a student of ours scoops any top prize. It's a testament to the course and all the hard work we put in. I couldn't think of a better advert for the University."
Evie, who currently works as a freelance writer, continues to raise awareness of social issues through her weekly newsletter, It’s Just a Game. The newsletter provides critical commentary on major topics in sports media, aligning with St Mary’s core value of inclusiveness.