Young Photographers shine with Top 5 finishes at AIPS Sport Media Awards

British entrants Will Palmer and Anthony Hanc place extremely in Young Reporter – Photography class at AIPS Sport Media Awards; gala ceremony for eighth version of annual occasion held in Lausanne; Audio duo Adam Leventhal and Abi Paterson, and Video Documentary contender Ian Brackley, take bronze medals…

By Jon Holmes

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British photographers Will Palmer and Anthony Hanc have each been recognised on the worldwide stage for his or her wonderful work, with Top 5 placings on the annual AIPS Sport Media Awards.

Will and Anthony completed fourth and fifth respectively within the Young Reporter – Photography class. The gala evening for the annual Awards was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 10, as a part of the AIPS Congress.

The duo have been amongst 32 UK entries to make it to the shortlisted stage.

Initially, 88 entries submitted by British sports activities writers, broadcasters and photographers have been longlisted for the eighth version of the Awards, which celebrates excellence within the business from throughout the globe.

Will, from York, is a earlier winner of the Young Reporter – Photography class, taking the honours in Seoul three years in the past.

His entry this time was titled ‘Ripped with Glory’ and was taken on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo final September.

Will informed the SJA web site: “My frame captures Oblique Seville of Jamaica in a moment of raw emotion as he rips his shirt in celebration after winning the 100m final in Tokyo.

“Anticipating a reaction such as this from earlier rounds, I positioned myself beyond the finish to frame a cleaner, more unique view of a celebration with a less distracting background.

“To create this whilst part of the World Athletics Media Academy, and to place fourth at the AIPS Sport Media Awards this weekend after winning in 2023, is a privilege I’m incredibly proud of.”

For London-based photographer Anthony, it was his first time making use of for the AIPS Awards.

He mentioned: “I’m honoured to have finished fifth in this category, alongside such a talented field of sports journalists.

“My submission, ‘To Infinity and Beyond’, captures Mariela Perez competing in the women’s shot put final at the FISU World University Games 2025 in Germany, where I was fortunate to be part of the Young Photographers Programme.

“Being involved in the Games provided an invaluable opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals, while also developing my skills with fellow participants and mentors at an international level.

“No two days were the same, from covering new sports and disciplines to constantly challenging myself to improve both technically and creatively.”

Anthony shared the story of his excellent shot of the Chilean thrower, taken on the Lohrheidestadion in Bochum.

“This image was captured during one of our daily assignments at the FISU World University Games 2025, where we were encouraged to explore new sports and take on specific creative challenges to develop our understanding.

“On this particular day, I was assigned to athletics, with a brief focused on capturing officials in action while still conveying a sense of story.

“Although that brief does not directly define the final image, it influenced my positioning and approach. The lighting was particularly favourable, with a soft, overcast sky providing a neutral backdrop, while sunlight cut in from the side to illuminate key details.”

Picking up trophies on the evening in particular person in Lausanne have been The Athletic journalist Adam Leventhal and Ian Brackley, improvement and exec produce for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

Adam gained the Writing Best Colour Piece class final yr, and this time he was a podium finisher within the Audio class. He was recognised along with his former Athletic colleague Abi Paterson, now of talkSPORT, for “The Story of the Guinea Stadium Disaster.”

Brackley, who works for Warner Bros. Discovery, took third for “Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds,” a joint manufacturing by WBD, the Olympic Channel, and Western Edge Pictures.

There was additionally a ‘Special Mention for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion’ for UK entrant Stuart Pollitt of Restless Films, for the documentary “Unstoppable Determination” in regards to the Slovakian Special Olympics skier Michal Dolinsky.

Other earlier UK winners on the AIPS Sport Media Awards embrace photographer Sam Barnes, CNN author Jack Bantock, Kate Rowan (Telegraph), Dina Asher-Smith (Telegraph column) and Suzy Wrack (The Guardian).

For this version, the free-to-enter Awards acquired nearly 2,000 submissions representing 130 nationalities. They are profitable in addition to prestigious, with prizes of US $5,000 (1st), $3,000 (2nd) and $2,000 (third) on provide for individuals who end in the primary class podium locations.

Here are the AIPS Sport Media Awards 2025 classes during which UK entrants have been shortlisted, with their names and different data. Follow the hyperlinks within the class titles to see entry particulars in full…

Audio

• Carys Wall, Jac Philimore – Bill Walton’s The Grateful Team – Bespoken Media
• Adam Leventhal – The story of the Guinea stadium catastrophe – a particular episode of The Athletic FC podcast – The Athletic
• James Montague – Ghost Cities FC – BBC World Service

Photography Portfolio

• Andrew Boyers, Game Changers – Action Images / Reuters
• Andy Couldridge, Andy Couldridge Sports Folio – Reuters
• Adrian Dennis, Light work- AO Tennis – AFP
• Julian Finney, Sport Portfolio – Getty Images
• Patrick McCann, Thoroughbreds – Racing Post
• Jonathan Moscrop, 90Minutes – Getty Images/Sportimage UK
• Lee Smith, Saddle up – Action Images/Reuters

Photography Sport Action

• Mickael Chavet, 0.02sec – Zuma Press
• Mike Egerton, PSG Celebration – PA Media
• Ian Macnicol, Weiyi Yuan – Getty Images
• Phil Noble, Salah selfie – Reuters
• Carl Recine, Mo’s Selfie – Getty Images
• Oli Scarff, Kinder Downfall – AFP

Video Athlete Profile

• Steve Bower – The BIG Interview: Micky van de Ven – IMG/Premier League
• Rob Harris – The lifetime of silent hero Diogo Jota – Sky News

Video Documentary

• Theo Lee Ray – Beacon of Hope: The Grenfell Athletic Story – TNT Sports / Warner Bros. Discovery
• Joe Wilson – Special Olympics – The World in Turin – BBC News / BBC iPlayer / BBC Breakfast

Video Short Feature

• Nick Hope – From screaming sibling to boxing brilliance – the Ruby White story – SportsAssist
• Stuart Pollitt – Unstoppable Determination – Restless Films

Writing Best Colour Piece

• Natalie Berry, In the Shadow of the Mountain – The Fence
• Oliver Brown, I sat within the entrance row for Gazza’s present and noticed a fragile soul laid naked – The Daily Telegraph
• Adam Leventhal, Guinea stadium catastrophe particular report: ‘This door here, it’s the door to hell’ – The Athletic
• Sid Lowe, Santi Cazorla and Real Oviedo pull off probably the most romantic of returns to La Liga – The Guardian / ESPN
• Andy McGrath, The Fully Circle – Alvento
• Hannah Ryan, Is this English soccer membership the following Wrexham story? – CNN
• Tom Williams, Inside Nabil Bentaleb’s unbelievable comeback after cardiac arrest: ‘It’s not about the way you fall, however – The Athletic

Young Reporters Photography

• Anthony Hanc, To Infinity and Beyond – Anthony Hanc
• Will Palmer, Ripped with Glory – Will Palmer Photography / www.will-palmer.co.uk

AIPS Sport Media Awards news index (AIPS Media)

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