Journalists in Northern Ireland have been honoured at the Coca Cola/CIPR Press and Broadcast Awards.

The event’s top award – Northern Ireland Journalist of the Year – went to Bimpe Fatogun, of the Irish News.

The paper also won the award for Daily Newspaper of the Year while the Sunday World won the Sunday Newspaper of the Year and overall Newspaper of the Year awards.

County Fermanagh-based paper, The Impartial Reporter, picked up the Weekly Newspaper of the Year title.

Other top honours included Newcomer of the Year, which went to AP Maginnis, of the Irish News, who also received the Martin O’Hagan Memorial Bursary.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to veteran journalist James Kelly who began his career in journalism in 1929 aged 17.

The event, sponsored by Coca Cola Bottlers, saw 19 awards handed out during a ceremony hosted by journalist and broadcaster Nick Ross at the Hastings Europa Hotel, Belfast.

In addition to the Journalist of the Year title, Bimpe Fatogun was named Print News Journalist of the Year.

The judging panel praised the Irish News reporter for “tenacity in her writing and pursuit of stories that define the term public interest”.

In the Weekly Newspaper of the Year category, The Impartial Reporter was hailed as “simply a great local newspaper”.

Judges added: “Beautifully designed, with clear headlines and well-written copy, The Impartial Reporter is a professionally produced broadsheet with good stories, penetrating analysis and an impressive range of supporting features.”

Jennifer Maguire, chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, said: “The standard of entries this year for the Press and Broadcast Awards was exceptionally high and it is great to see such a broad range of talent being acknowledged for their work right across the media industry.”