Nick Butler, who has been working for the world's leading Olympic news website for just two years, has been shortlisted in the Journalistic Weblog category at the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Sport Media Pearl Awards.

He will now attend a glittering awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (December 15) where an overall winner will be presented with a Pearl trophy and a cash prize of $10,000 (£6,500/€9,000).

The second and third placed writers will scoop $5,000 (£3,200/€4,600) each.

Butler, whose job takes him around the world on top sports assignments, said: “I wasn't expecting it at all, what a fantastic surprise to be named among the best in the world.”

His awarded nominated article, "Crash, bang, wallop as sports politics is turned on its head at SportAccord Convention" can be read here. 

Seven categories will be contested at the awards in all, which attracted entries from more than 800 people.

A judging panel has been led by AIPS President, Gianni Merlo, and consists of 11 international sport media professionals as well as Sport Media Pearl Awards ambassador, Yao Ming, China's National Basketball Association (NBA) star.

Launched at the Louvre Museum in Paris in March, the Sport Media Pearl Awards are the first international awards dedicated to the sport journalism industry.

A six-month journey was made around the world by organisers, taking in some of the world’s biggest sporting events, to encourage people to enter.

insidethegames' chief columnist David Owen had been among the original nominees in the "Writing Best Column" award, for his column "St Louis 1904 official report provides stark evidence of racism of time", which you can read here. 

A full-list of the short-listed finalists can be found here.



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November 2015: insidethegames reporters among AIPS Sport Media Pearl Awards nominees