Now in their 24th year, the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards are widely regarded as the leading celebration of sports writing, championing the best books, authors and storytelling in sport each year. The awards bring together athletes, writers, publishers and media to celebrate the narratives that define the sporting world.
The shortlists for the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards 2026 were announced this morning, with 13 categories celebrating sporting achievement alongside the very best in sports writing, from compelling narratives to bold, original voices. Shortlisted authors include: Susie Wolff, Duncan Ferguson, Paul Gascoigne, Freddie Flintoff, Eve Muirhead, Joe Cole, George North, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Jodie Ounsley, Ella Toone, Matt Oldfield & Maggie Alphonsi, Gareth Southgate, Guillem Balagué, Felix White, Mark Hodgkinson, Björn Borg, Boris Becker, Mary Earps, Ned Boulting, Martin O’Neill, Phil Tufnell, James Montague, Pippa York & David Walsh, Baroness Sue Campbell and Andy Farrell.
Paul Gascoigne reflected on his shortlisting in the Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times:
"For the first time, I felt ready to write all about the sort of life I've had, so people get to know the real me, not the Gazza in the papers…and it became a Sunday Times bestseller!
I’m very thankful to Katie Davies, my agent and friend, Victoria Williams who wrote the book with me, and the team at Reach Sport for their dedication in publishing my book. Finally, to my sister for standing by me, no matter what.”
The 2026 awards introduce three new categories: Motorsports Book of the Year, Sports Audiobook of the Year, and Sports Podcast of the Year, in association with Sport Social Podcast Network, reflecting the evolving landscape of sports storytelling.
The motorsports category recognises the surge in publishing around the sport, driven by growing global interest and a new generation of fans. The audiobook award highlights the rising importance of audio, offering a more accessible and immersive way to experience sports writing.
The Sports Podcast of the Year award celebrates the best in sports podcasting, from insightful analysis and investigative interviews to entertaining, personality-driven shows. Together, these additions recognise formats that shape conversation, connect with audiences, and showcase creativity and storytelling.
Susie Wolff has achieved a rare triple shortlisting at the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards 2026 for her autobiography Driven, marking the first time in the awards’ history that a single title has been shortlisted across three categories. The book is recognised in Sports Audiobook of the Year, Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, and Motorsports Book of the Year, reflecting both the strength of her personal story and its resonance across multiple formats of sports storytelling.
Commenting on her triple shortlisting, Susie Wolff said:
"A huge thank you to everyone at the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards for nominating Driven in three major categories, including the inaugural Motorsports Book of the Year. It’s a real honour - especially having written it alongside my brother.“
The Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year in association with The Sunday Times shortlist brings together a strong field of sporting voices, each offering a distinctive personal story from across a range of disciplines. Nominated titles include Big DUNC: The Upfront Biography by Duncan Ferguson, Driven by Susie Wolff with David Stoddart, Eight by Paul Gascoigne with Victoria Williams, Freddie Flintoff: Coming Home by Freddie Flintoff, Ice Queen by Eve Muirhead with Eric Nicolson, Luxury Player by Joe Cole with Sam Wallace, No Other Place by George North, and The Chain by Sir Bradley Wiggins. Together, the shortlist spans football, rugby, cricket, cycling, curling and motorsport, highlighting the breadth of elite sporting careers and the personal journeys behind them.
Bestselling Autobiography Big Dunc heads a stellar set of contenders, with Duncan Ferguson reflecting on an incredible list:
“It’s wonderful to be nominated in a brilliant category alongside fellow Scots, Susie Wolff and Eve Muirhead, plus my former teammate Paul Gascoigne, with Andrew Flintoff, Bradley Wiggins, George North and Joe Cole. Many congratulations to my fellow nominees and my team who have made “Big Dunc” a major success.”
The public vote is now open for two categories - Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year in association with The Sunday Times and Sports Entertainment Book of the Year in association with LoveReading - with readers invited to cast their vote at sportsbookawards.com/vote. All other categories are decided by expert judging panels, bringing together voices from across sport and media, including Mark Chapman, Miles Jupp, Georgie Heath, Shebahn Aherne, Amy Williams, Iona Stephen, David Fulton, Emma Paton, Lisa O’Keefe, Christine Ohuruogu, Jill Douglas, Sir Tim Rice, Rory Kinnear, Jacqui Oatley, Lawrence Dallaglio, Darren Gough, Jo Pavey, Alistair Brownlee, David Croft, Sarah-Jane Mee, Sam Matterface, Jo Tongue and Eilidh Barbour, among others.
The winners will be announced at the Kia Oval on 21st May, with the awards ceremony hosted for the fourth time by sports broadcaster Mark Pougatch.
Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards Host, Mark Pougatch, commented on his involvement in the awards:
I’m delighted to be hosting the 24th Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards in association with The Sunday Times for the 4th year at the Kia Oval, as well as judging the prestigious Football Book of the Year Award. It's been another brilliant year for sports books in general, and I can’t wait to announce our winners!"
We are delighted to have Charles Tyrwhitt as the headline sponsor of the awards for the third year. Charles Tyrwhitt is a distinguished British clothing brand, renowned for its high-quality, timeless style.
Joe Irons, Chief Marketing Officer at Charles Tyrwhitt comments:
“We're thrilled to be back as sponsors of the 2026 Sports Book Awards for the third year running. A love of sport is woven into everything we do – from our partnerships with England Rugby, Fulham FC and the New York Yankees, to welcoming Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald as our newest ambassador, alongside Joe Root, Stuart Broad, Matt Dawson & Marcus Smith.
This year's nominated titles all have great stories to tell and the competition looks stronger than ever. We can't wait to celebrate with the writers who bring sport to life.”
The 2026 Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards feature a broad and diverse range of categories celebrating excellence across sports writing, storytelling and media. These include Sports Audiobook of the Year, Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year in association with The Sunday Times, Children’s Sports Book of the Year supported by the National Literacy Trust and Waterstones, Rathbones Cricket Book of the Year, IFX Payments Football Book of the Year, The JP Marland Charitable Trust Illustrated Book of the Year, Francis Clark Financial Planning International Sports Book of the Year, Motorsports Book of the Year, Charles Tyrwhitt Rugby Book of the Year in association with the Rugby Union Writers’ Club, Sports Entertainment Book of the Year in association with LoveReading, Pinsent Masons Sports Writing Award, The Vikki Orvice Award for Women’s Sports Writing sponsored by Evelyn Partners, and Sports Podcast of the Year in association with Sport Social Podcast Network.
The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards 2026 shortlists in full:
Charles Tyrwhitt Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times:
BIG DUNC, Duncan Ferguson (Century)
Driven, Susie Wolff with David Stoddart (Hodder & Stoughton)
Paul Gascoigne: Eight, Paul Gascoigne with Victoria Williams (Reach Sport)
Freddie Flintoff: Coming Home, Freddie Flintoff (Blink, Bonnier Books)
Eve Muirhead: Ice Queen, Eve Muirhead with Eric Nicolson (Polaris Publishing)
Joe Cole, Luxury Player, Joe Cole with Sam Wallace (Seven Dials, Orion)
No Other Place: My Autobiography, George North (HarperCollins)
The Chain, Sir Bradley Wiggins (HarperCollins)
Children’s Sports Book of the Year, supported by the National Literacy Trust and Waterstones
Girls with Goals: How women's football took over the world, Clelia Castro-Malaspina (Holler, Quarto Publishing)
Granny National, Rachael Blackmore with Rachel Pierce & illustrated by Tom Snape (Sandycove, Penguin)
Ice Dancer, Alex Cotter (Nosy Crow)
Keep Smashing It: Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Confident, Jodie Ounsley with Becky Grey & illustrated by Dane Thibeault (Macmillan Children's Books)
Running My Own Race, Abena Eyeson (Nosy Crow)
Shoot for the Stars, Danielle Brown illustrated by Jayde Perkin and Filigrana de Ideas (Little Tiger)
The Not-So-Secret Diary of a Footballer: A behind-the-scenes look into the life of a Lioness, Ella Toone (Puffin)
Ultimate Rugby Superstars, Matt Oldfield & Maggie Alphonsi illustrated by Dan Leydon (Walker Books)
IFX Payments Football Book of the Year
Dear England: Lessons in Leadership, Gareth Southgate (Century)
Football, Taught By Matt Busby, Wayne Barton (Reach Sport)
Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency, David Goldblatt (Mudlark, HarperCollins)
Keegan: The Man Who Was King, Anthony Quinn (Faber & Faber)
Rise of the Villans: Inside Unai Emery's Aston Villa Revolution, Guillem Balagué (Seven Dials, Orion)
The Chairman: The Man Who Saved AFC Bournemouth, Jeff Mostyn (Whitefox Publishing)
The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup, Jonathan Wilson (Abacus)
Whatever Will Be, Will Be: A Matter of Life and Football, Felix White (Cassell, Octopus)
Francis Clark Financial Planning International Sports Book of the Year
Being Carlos Alcaraz: The Man Behind the Smile, Mark Hodgkinson (Cassell, Octopus)
Cloud Nine: My Life In Rugby, Conor Murray with Tommy Conlon (Reach Sport)
Heartbeats: A Memoir , Björn Borg (Sphere)
Inside: Winning. Losing. Starting Again. Boris Becker (HarperCollins)
Senna: The Truth, Franco Nugnes (Pitch Publishing)
Unlocked, Eben Etzebeth with Ben Dirs (Hodder & Stoughton)
Motorsports Book of the Year
Driven, Susie Wolff with David Stoddart (Hodder & Stoughton)
F1 Insider: Notes from the Pit Lane, Ted Kravitz (Cassell, Octopus)
Formula 1 75 Years, Stuart Codling & James Roberts, Photographed by James Mann (The Quarto Group, Motorbooks)
On the Grid: The Inside Track on Formula One, Luke Smith (Simon & Schuster UK)
Seven Tenths Of A Second, Zak Brown, (Michael Joseph, Penguin)
Superveloce: How Italian Cars Conquered the World, Peter Grimsdale (Simon & Schuster UK)
Rathbones Cricket Book of the Year
500 Declared: The Joys of Covering 500 Cricket Tests, Scyld Berry (Bloomsbury Sport)
Test Cricket: A History, Tim Wigmore (Quercus)
The Ashes Files: My Pride and Pain in Cricket’s Most Intense Series, Steven Finn (Seven Dials, Orion)
The Club: Empire, Power and the Governance of World Cricket, Rod Lyall (Pitch Publishing)
The King of Spain and I: Surviving cricket, depression and the greatest ever Ashes, Ashley Giles (Fairfield Books)
Victory in Australia: The Remarkable Story of England's Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55, Richard Whitehead (Bloomsbury Sport)
Sports Audiobook of the Year
Driven, Susie Wolff written with David Stoddart, narrated by Susie Wolff. (Hodder & Stoughton)
Joe Cole, Luxury Player, Joe Cole written with Sam Wallace, narrated by Jason Flemyng & Sam Wallace (Seven Dials, Orion)
Mary Earps: All In: Football, Life and Learning to be Unapologetically Me, Mary Earps narrated by Mary Earps (Leap, Bonnier Books)
The Accidental Tour-ist: (Final) Dispatches from the Road, Ned Boulting, narrated by Ned Boulting (Bloomsbury Sport)
The Changing Game: The past, present and future of football, Martin O'Neill written with Joey D'Urso, narrated by Martin O'Neill (Headline Welbeck Non-Fiction)
Whatever Will Be, Will Be: A Matter of Life and Football, Felix White, narrated by Felix White (Cassell, Octopus)
Sports Entertainment Book of the Year, in association with LoveReading
Escape: A Love Letter to a Cult Football Classic, John Smith (Pitch Publishing)
On the Record & On the Ball: How Elite Coaches Master the Media, Tim Percival (Fairfield Books)
Once Upon a Toon: 18 Years Inside Newcastle United, Paul Ferris (Bloomsbury Sport)
Still Here: The King of Bling, Bobby George with Dave Bracegirdle (Pitch Publishing)
Swimmingly: Adventures in Water, Vassos Alexander (Bloomsbury Sport)
The Changing Game: The past, present and future of football, Martin O'Neill with Joey D'Urso (Headline Welbeck Non-Fiction)
Tuffers' Ashes Heroes: Legends and Characters from Both Sides of Cricket's Divide, Phil Tufnell (HarperCollins)
Pinsent Masons Sports Writing Award
Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World, James Montague (Blink, Bonnier Books)
More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power, Joey D'Urso (Seven Dials, Orion)
Pitch Invasion: My story as a Feminist on a Football Club board, Karen Dobres (Cassell, Octopus)
Sacrifice: A Year in the Life of a Champion Jockey, Oisin Murphy (Bantam, Transworld)
The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me, Pippa York & David Walsh (Mudlark, HarperCollins)
The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing, Donald McRae (Simon & Schuster UK)
The JP Marland Charitable Trust Illustrated Book of the Year
Chelsea FC: The Official History, Rick Glanvill (Vision Sports Publishing)
Football Kit Italia: The Greatest Kits and Characters of the Golazzo Era, John Blair (Pitch Publishing)
Formula One: The Champions: 75 years of legendary F1 drivers, Maurice Hamilton photographed by Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier (The Quarto Group, Ivy Press)
He's Here, He's There: Ipswich Town Football Club - The John Wark Era 1973 - 1996, Neil Prentice with John Wark (Jacob Bailey Limited)
Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1978-1993, Panini UK (Bloomsbury Sport)
Shot Ready, Stephen Curry (Pan Macmillan)
The Story of Football in 100 Objects, National Football Museum (HarperNorth, HarperCollins)
Ultra: The World Atlas of Ultramarathons, Jen & Sim Benson (Cassell, Octopus)
The Vikki Orvice Award for Women’s Sports Writing, sponsored by Evelyn Partners
Breaking the Grass Ceiling: The History of the Women's Football Association, Patricia Gregory (The History Press)
Building Champions: Paths to Success in Women's Tennis, Molly McElwee (Arena Sport, Birlinn)
Flying the Flag, Carrie Dunn (Hero, Legend Press)
How To Win: Lessons in Success from the Front Line of Performance Psychology, Dr Kate Hays (HarperCollins)
The Game Changer, Baroness Sue Campbell (Constable)
Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport, Lily Canter & Emma Wilkinson (Canbury Press)
Charles Tyrwhitt Rugby Book of the Year, in association with the Rugby Union Writers’ Club
Heart on my Sleeve: My story of struggle and strength, Andrew Porter (Eriu, Bonnier Books)
No Other Place: My Autobiography, George North (HarperCollins)
SO RUGBY, WHAT'S THAT?, Robbie Owen illustrated by Ferry Gouw (Vroom)
The Bish: It's All About Me, David Bishop with Brendan Gallagher (Y Lolfa)
The Only Way I Know, Andy Farrell (Sandycove, Penguin)
Touching Distance: Irish Rugby's Battle with Great Expectations, Brendan Fanning (Gill Books)
Sports Podcast of the Year, in association with Sport Social Podcast Network
The Final Word Cricket Podcast hosted by Adam Collins & Geoff Lemon
Big Kick Energy hosted by Maisie Adam & Suzi Ruffell
Football For Kids with Darren Rees
Golf Is Ruining My Life hosted by Tom Green & Tom Price
Iron Cast: The Official West Ham United Podcast hosted by Chris Scull & Carlton Cole
The Managers hosted by Mick McCarthy and Tony Pulis
Paula’s Run Club hosted by Paula Radcliffe & Chris ’Thommo’ Thompson
The Rugby Pod hosted by Jim Hamilton, Andy Goode & Dan Biggar
