Simon Hattenstone

Simon Hattenstone’s features display a deep empathy for their subjects and a deep interest in the surrounding issues, all delivered with a lightness of touch. His feature interviews demonstrate a unique ability to gain the trust and confidence of interviewees, ensuring readers hear their voice rather than his own. 

His story about Joe Black, a talented musician, an addict and diagnosed schizophrenic who was found dead of an overdose at an award-winning hostel that boasted a ‘zero-tolerance’ drugs policy, shines a light on failings in the care system for the homeless. Hattenstone tells the story through Black’s mother’s search for answers, with testimony from friends and reporting from the inquest into his death.

In the story of Kevin Nunn – who has spent 20 years in prison for a murder for which he maintains his innocence – Hattenstone forensically details a potential miscarriage of justice, and the failures of the system designed to correct wrongful convictions. 

His piece on Shari Franke sensitively lifts the lid on the world of Mormon family influencers, revealing how her mother Ruby’s YouTube channel tipped over into shocking abuse. This article reached nearly a million readers, and was in the top 1% of Guardian pieces for attention time.

Judges’ comments: “These are serious, important stories and topics, but that weight is worn lightly… Terrific writing that you'd have to have the hardest of hearts not to be moved by.”