Sir Bradley Wiggins Among Five Shortlisted For William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award 2026
The Chain joins four other titles on the shortlist for the £25,000 prize, which recognises outstanding sports writing and will be awarded on 24 November.
Sir Bradley Wiggins is among five authors shortlisted for the 2026 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, with his book The Chain in contention for the £25,000 prize.
The shortlist also includes This Is Not About Running by Mary Cain, The Power Within by Sophie Power, The Impossible Job by William Ralston and The Fall and Rise of the Mölkky Bar Kids by Neil Squires.
Selected from a 12-book longlist, the five titles explore sport through personal experience, resilience and the challenges of competition.
Winner To Receive £25,000 Prize
The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 24 November. The successful author will receive £25,000 and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year trophy, while each of the other shortlisted authors will receive £2,500 and a leather-bound copy of their book.
This year’s judging panel comprises Adrian Durham, Elis James, Mark Lawson, Christine Ohuruogu and Michelle Walder. The panel will select the winner to follow last year’s recipient, The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me by Pippa York and David Walsh.
Neil Foggin, media manager at William Hill and a member of the reading panel, said:
“This is an extremely strong shortlist, with a real range of sports covered. It’s certainly the first time a book on Finnish skittles has featured!“All five books are superbly written and worthy contenders for the 2026 award. They display the power of sport to challenge, enthral and captivate, as well as the sacrifice that often comes with elite level competition.
“We wish all shortlisted nominees the very best of luck and look forward to crowning the winner on the 24th of November. It’s now over to our judging panel who have the hugely difficult task of choosing a winner.”
Shortlist Covers A Range Of Sporting Stories
The 2026 shortlist comprises:
The Chain by Sir Bradley Wiggins
This Is Not About Running by Mary Cain
The Power Within by Sophie Power
The Impossible Job by William Ralston
The Fall and Rise of the Mölkky Bar Kids by Neil Squires
Established in 1989, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award recognises achievement in sports writing and is described by the organiser as the world’s longest-established and most valuable literary sports-writing prize.
Previous winners include Nick Hornby, Duncan Hamilton, Michael Holding, Jeremy Wilson and Lauren Fleshman.
