Sebastián Varela wins 2025 Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism

The Chilean journalist and CLAY co-founder was honored for standout features on redemption and social impact, with half the prize money going to a tennis project in Santiago.

The International Tennis Writers’ Association (ITWA) is delighted to announce that Sebastián Varela has been awarded the 2025 Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism.

The annual prize, which was inaugurated in 2022, is awarded to a writer aged 35 or under who shows excellence in tennis journalism. It includes a cash prize of $2000 and will be presented on the eve of the US Open in New York.

Sebastián, a 32-year-old journalist from Chile, is the co-founder of CLAY, a digital publication in English and Spanish, founded in 2022, with a constant presence at tournaments throughout the season, from Grand Slams to the Challenger tour. CLAY specialises in interviews, features and analysis on the tennis tour. A panel of seven leading tennis journalists judged the entries blind.

Each applicant submitted two articles. Sebastián’s first was a feature on a man who escaped the horrors of drug trafficking to transform lives through tennis while the second was a feature on Nicolás Jarry, a Chilean player who rebuilt his career after an 11-month doping ban.

Half of his cash prize will be donated to Fundación Futuros para el Tenis, a social project that uses tennis to educate vulnerable children in Lo Espejo, the third worst-ranked district in Chile in terms of urban quality of life.

The other half will support the development of CLAY as it looks to expand its coverage.

“It’s a true honor to receive the Tom Perrotta Prize,” Sebastián said. “It feels like a meaningful recognition of the work I’ve done and the love I have for journalism.

“I’m thankful to cover tennis with CLAY, the outlet I co-founded with Sebastián Fest three years ago, which has taken me around the world doing what I enjoy most -- from exploring the minds of the sport’s biggest stars to giving a voice to inspiring stories that would otherwise go unnoticed.

“I’m grateful to the Perrotta family for how they value journalism. I feel privileged to do what many colleagues in Latin America would love to do — but often can’t – to travel the Tour and tell stories.

“Tom’s legacy is a beautiful reminder of how important it is to keep bringing young journalists closer to this sport we all care so much about."

The award is in memory of the American writer Tom Perrotta, whose exemplary contributions to tennis were curtailed by his untimely death at the age of 44.

Sebastián Varela

ITWA would like to thank all those who entered or were nominated and the judging panel for their time and expertise.

The Association of Tennis Professionals, The Women’s Tennis Association, The International Tennis Federation and ITWA co-sponsor the prize.

Details of how to enter the competition in 2026 will be announced in due course.

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