An editor has shared his pride as his website prepares to face national competition for a sports journalism award.

Wales Online has been shortlisted in the Digital Publisher category at the Sports Journalists’ Association British Sports Journalism Awards 2020.

The award recognises all aspects digital performance including website, app (if applicable) and use of social media.

CNN Sport, Sky Sports, The Athletic UK, The Coaches’ Voice and the Daily Telegraph are also nominated for the prize.

Wales Online editor Paul Rowland, pictured, told HTFP: “I’m proud of the way our sports journalists have responded to this incredibly challenging year, from the complete suspension of the sporting calendar, to the resumption with an absence of fans.

“The circumstances we’ve been working in pushes creativity, innovation and contacts to the fore, and the team has delivered handsomely, with fantastic human interest interviews and features, engaging podcasts and livestreams, and typically on-the-ball news and analysis.”

The Regional Journalist category at this year’s award sees six-time winner Jon Colman, of the Carlisle News & Star, face the Neil Allen, of Portsmouth daily The News, who has won the prize for the past two years.

They are joined on the shortlist by Alex Bywater, of the Westgate Sports Agency, Chris Wathan, of BBC Sport Wales, David Dubas-Fisher, of Reach plc’s data unit, and Steven Chicken, of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner and Yorkshire Live.

Colin Bateman, chair of writing judges, said: “There is clearly plenty of life in the old trade yet judging by the feedback from a succession of judges who got in touch.

“There was genuine pleasure and admiration for the quality, range and originality of the entries in a year when locked down sport tested the ingenuity of our profession.”

The winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on 15 March.