[1] The awards are widely considered the BAFTAs of the industry, and attract entries from all major domestic and international media outlets.
[2] The first edition of the awards was held in 1976 with the Sports Writer of the Year given to celebrated journalists Ian Wooldridge and Hugh McIlvanney.
[6][7] Notable repeat recipients of the British Sports Journalism Awards include Hugh McIlvanney of The Sunday Times and Martin Samuel of The Daily Mail who have both won Sports Writer of the Year six times.
[9][10] Michael Atherton of The Times has won all four editions of Cricket Journalist,[11][12] while Daniel Taylor of The Guardian has won three editions of Football Journalist of the Year.
[13][14] Sean Ingle, also of The Guardian, has won Specialist Correspondent on two occasions.