Ian Bell ‘New Writing’ award makes soccer probe top scorer
- Jamie Braidwood, the winner
By Bill Heaney
THE work of four young journalism students has been recognised in the third year of the Ian Bell ‘New Writing’ award for unpublished writers in Scotland aged 30 or under.
The competition, in memory of the award-winning journalist and author Ian Bell, who died in December 2015, was set up by his family and the Edinburgh and district branch of the National Union of Journalists, of which Ian was a member.
The judges this year – Ian’s son Sean Bell, a writer and journalist on the Scottish-based news website CommonSpace, Libby Brooks, The Guardian’s Scotland correspondent and Rob Edwards, chair and production manager of the investigative co-operative, The Ferret – made their choice from a large batch of lively and committed pieces on social issues.
They awarded first prize to Jamie Braidwood, pictured, 22, a student at Edinburgh Napier University, for his investigation, ‘Why isn’t football taking concussion more seriously?’
Jamie said: “I am delighted to have won the Ian Bell Award and would like to congratulate Brendan, Emma and Jordan for their work.
“My piece was part of a wider series of articles investigating concussion in Scottish sport and was produced for my fourth-year major journalism project at university. I would also like to thank my supervisor Allan Boughey for his help and support.”
Joint runners-up were Brendan Duggan, 22, also at Napier, for his interesting angle on the Israel/Palestine conflict, ‘The Mental Health of Palestine’, and Emma Simper, 22, studying at Stirling university, for her in-depth examination of the importance of touch.
Further information from Edinburgh & District NUJ vice-chair, Hilary Horrocks, hilaryhorrocks@btinternet.com