The rapidly changing media landscape has had a number of consequences. Key amongst them is longer-form writing and, in many instances, original writing, or investigative journalism or writing.
If they can get a job in the industry, young writers are often put into jobs with lofty-sounding titles where they're given the somewhat soul-destroying beat of regurgitating media releases from organisations and PR people with the key metric being first to publish, regardless of what it says. (At FootballToday, we also report items of interest from media releases but we stick them under our 'News' section). All too often we see 'advertorials' spruiking for a person or cause – such as this one. And then there are 'opinion' pieces where writers who really haven't had any experience outside of school or university and suddenly are required to become experts in something (and some actually think they are!).
If you write and you're happy with any of the above, stop reading now.
If you want an opportunity to show what you can really do, then read on because as part of next year's Football Writers' Festival, Fair Play Publishing (of which FootballToday is a part) is offering an Emerging Writers' Program.
It is in two stages.
First, aspiring football writers aged 30 years and under at 24 May 2020, are invited to submit an original, unpublished 3,000 word piece on any football topic in any form. The top ten pieces will be published in an Anthology to be launched at the Festival which will be held at Jamberoo, NSW.
The pieces for publication will be judged by a panel of four comprising:
former long-term soccer writer with The Australian Ray Gatt;
freelance journalist and author Matthew Hall;
retired sports journalist and broadcaster Debbie Spillane; and
Festival co-founder, freelance writer and author, Bonita Mersiades.
The ten pieces selected for the Anthology will then go to a second stage of judging, again by the panel of four but with two esteemed UK journalists added for an international perspective:
investigative journalist and broadcaster Andrew Jennings, author of several seminal books on FIFA and IOC corruption, and
Amy Lawrence, journalist with The Athletic and author of four books on Arsenal Football Club.
The idea behind a long-form piece is to present an opportunity to bring to life an individual, a club, an issue or something of interest in the football world to the writer.
As the judges are so different in their football interests, writing style and specialties, entrants should not try to 'second guess' what they might be interested in, but instead write about something they are interested in.
Each of the entrants selected for publication will receive $100. The two winners of the second stage will also have an all expenses paid trip to attend Football Writers' Festival and present on their writing to the audience of journalists, writers, readers, fans and administrators.
Entries close on 31 January 2020 with the ten winning entries announced in April next year.
Further information, including guidelines and terms and conditions for the Emerging Writers’ Program, is available at www.footballwritersfestival.com.au.
The Football Writers’ Festival will be held on 30-31 May 2020 at Jamberoo Pub, Jamberoo NSW. It is an initiative of Fair Play Publishing supported by the Johnny Warren Football Foundation.