The waiting is over and the nominations shortlist is out for the 2007 EDF Energy South West Media Awards.

The judges spent a day looking at more than 225 entries from 46 different publications and broadcasters from around the Westcountry.

The area covered took in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and down into the south west through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

Sponsorship from EDF Energy means that the awards feature cash prizes of £100 and trophies for individual winners and trophies for company entries.

holdthefrontpage publisher Patrick Astill said: “The judges spent a long time debating many of the categories thanks to the superb standard of work put forward.

“We were delighted by the number and standard of entries across the board this year and although it’s a long, hard job to work through them all, there were some wonderful examples that caught the judges’ eyes.”

Topping the list of nominees is the Bristol-based Western Daily Press with six chances for success. Exeter’s Express and Echo and The Evening Post in Bristol are close behind with five nominations each. Among the weeklies, the West Briton tops the list with three nominations.

The broadcasters have seven shortlisted entries from ITV firms up against six from the BBC, with some from each up against newspaper staff in the individual journalists’ categories.

The lunchtime presentation event will be at the Steam Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon on Thursday June 5.

The shortlist is:

Print Journalist of the Year (Daily)

Daniel Evans, Western Daily Press
Vicki Mathias, Bristol Evening Post
Tristan Nichols, The Herald
Chris Allen, Bristol Evening Post

Print Journalist of the Year (Weekly)

Oliver Toby Theddore Hulme, Mid Somerset News and Media
Tom Bevan, Western Gazette
Catherine Foster, Bath Chronicle

Television Journalist of the Year

John Maguire, BBC Points West
Jo Cole, ITV WestCountry
Jonathan Gibson, ITV WestCountry
Steve Brodie, BBC Points West
Richard Payne, ITV West

Radio Journalist of the Year

Martin Jones, Star Radio
Ben Rich, Star Radio
Nick Beake, BBC Radio Bristol

Newcomer of the Year

Alice Wright, Western Morning News
Naomi Harris, Express and Echo
Alex Ali, Herald Express
Daniel Martino, Glos Media

Daily Newspaper of the Year

Swindon Advertiser
The Citizen (Gloucester)
Express and Echo

Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Paid-for)

Newquay Guardian
The West Briton
Bath Chronicle

Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Free)

Clevedon Mercury
Weston and Worle News
Midweek Herald

Front Page of the Year

The Newquay Guardian, Towering Inferno
Western Daily Press, Just do it Dad!
Weekend Citizen, The Day The Rains Came
North Devon Journal, The New Taw Bridge

TV News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year

Stephanie Marshall, BBC Points West – May to Nov 2007
Gareth Allen, ITV WestCountry Live – Climate Change
James Garrett, ITV West Eye View – Bomb Damage
Nat Low, ITV West Eye View – Rubbish Management

Radio News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year

Nicola Rickard, Plymouth Sound News Extra
Ben Prater, BBC Radio Bristol Drive
Martin Jones, Star Radio
Tristan Hunkin, Pirate FM

Website of the Year

This is Cornwall
The Bradley Stoke Examiner
thisissouthdevon.co.uk/nigelgreen
This is Plymouth

Feature Writer of the Year

Jaine Blackman, Swindon Advertiser
Martin Hesp, Western Morning News
Daniel Evans, Western Daily Press
Susie Weldon, Western Daily Press

Columnist of the Year

Tim Davey, Bristol Evening Post
Chris Rundle, Western Daily Press
Sarah Feeley, Bristol Evening Post

News Photographer of the Year

Daniel Martino, Glos Media
Stuart Harrison, Swindon Advertiser
Steven Haywood, Western Morning News
Mikal Ludlow, Glos Media

Sports Journalist of the Year

Mark Jenkin, North Devon Journal
Chris Errington, The Herald (Plymouth)
Andy Cryer, Swindon Advertiser
Martyn Dean, ITV WestCountry

Business Journalist of the Year

James Cowling, Bristol Evening Post
Joanne Cochrane, Express and Echo

Environmental Journalist of the Year

Colin Gregory, The West Briton
Susie Weldon, Western Daily Press
Anne Byrne, Express and Echo

Community Campaign of the Year

Stroud News and Journal – The Rosie Morris Growing Minds Appeal
Express and Echo – Green Shoppers Campaign
Western Morning News – Great South West Walk
West Briton – Save our Stations