Hannah Jane Parkinson

The first submitted article, a first-person essay exploring the individual and societal effects of gambling addiction – in particular, sports betting – ran as a 4,000-word cover story for The Observer New Review. The feature was a mix of personal testimony, looking at the often life-changing (and, sometimes, tragically, life-ending) psychological and financial impacts of gambling addiction, as well as the manipulative business models of the companies and the wider damage the gambling industry does when it comes to the integrity of sports and politics.

The piece gained substantial traction; hundreds of thousands of views online, and extensive social media sharing, including by politicians, entertainment celebrities, and, most pertinently, sports personalities (including Andy Murray). It was a catalyst for increased coverage and debate around the issue of gambling in the lead up to the white paper on reviewing and reforming the Gambling Act.

But perhaps the biggest impact has been the Guardian Media Group’s decision to stop all forms of gambling advertisement across the company (ie. both The Observer and Guardian titles and online). A monumental change and a pioneering one in the media.

The second entry is a look at an upcoming generation of exciting male tennis players; three in particular who are finally threatening to usurp the dominance of the established Big Three (Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer). Two months after the piece’s publication, Carlos Alcaraz, of course, beat Djokovic in a thrilling Wimbledon final. The last submission is an annual, fun and irreverent analysis of upcoming kits of the Premier League season, always widely shared and enjoyed (and argued over) by fans.