Three regional newspapers have been nominated for a prestigious media award.

The South Wales Echo, Yorkshire Post and Liverpool Echo have been named as the finalists in the regional and local newspaper category of the Race in the Media Awards, sponsored by the Commission for Racial Equality.

The awards will be presented at London’s Savoy Hotel, on April 1, by television personalities Eamonn Holmes and Moira Stuart.

The keynote speaker will be Terry Mansfield, managing director of the National Magazine Company.

The awards are open to all journalists and broadcasters who have had material published or transmitted that addresses race relations issues in the UK.

This year there were more than 300 entries in 18 categories. Judges included Claire Rayner, DJ Tim Westwood, Floella Benjamin and Football Association chairman Adam Crozier.

The awards were set up in 1992 to encourage informed coverage of race relations, diversity and multi-culturalism across the UK’s media – and for the first time they will be webcast live on the internet.

For more information about the awards, visit www.cre.gov.uk/media/rima.html.