The Citizen has been crowned Daily Newspaper of the Year at the fourth EDF Energy South West Media Awards.

The event, held in association with holdthefrontpage.co.uk, welcomed more than 150 journalists to Swindon’s railway museum Steam for the event.

The judging panel was full of praise for this year’s winners.

Daily Newspaper of the Year The Citizen (Gloucester)

“This was a very hard shortlist to select a final winner from as all three papers were so strong. After a lot of thought and discussion the panel picked one for the all-round package it produced, in difficult circumstances, during one huge event.
“The judges praised The Citizen for grasping the flood situation and handling it superbly.”
The Citizen came into its own when Gloucestershire suffered the biggest natural disaster in its history as the county flooded, and was then gripped by a water shortage for two weeks last July. It produced a series of special editions and launched a fundraising campaign to help people recover.
The fund reached £1.6m. The paper also went one step further – producing a book and DVD, special picture supplements and recording record hits on its website. Between July and December it was the best performing daily in the Northcliffe group.

Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Paid-for) Bath Chronicle

“The winning paid-for weekly newspaper of the year stood out for the quality of its design, serious columnists, good sign-posting and strong reader input. It was described, overall, as a very good read.
“The judges said the Chronicle still had the feel of a daily and had made the transition [from daily to weekly] well.”
The Bath Chronicle stunned the newspaper world in September 2007 when it became the first paper in the country to go from paid-for daily to paid-for weekly. It was a huge undertaking and its staff had just seven weeks from the announcement of the decision to the first weekly edition.
In that time the paper was completely redesigned from cover to cover and treated as a new product launch. The paper’s average daily sale of around 12,000 – peaking at 15,000 mid week – now averages around 20,000 sales a week. It was praised for being an enormous paper that was a quality read.

Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Free) Weston and Worle News

“The paper is at the heart of its community and has added a number of new sections and supplements in the last year.”
The judges said: “The paper provided everything you would want it to and showed a lighter, more humorous side, at times.”
The Weston and Worle News is put together by one full-time and one part-time reporter. Each week they face the challenge of filling a newspaper which can be anything from 80 to 120 pages in size, with a 75:25 advertising to editorial ratio. Being a seaside town, with the highest number of drug rehabilitation centres per head in Europe and nightclubs offering two-for-one drink offers, social issues often dominate its pages. But the positive attractions of the resort feature as well.

Front Page of the Year Western Daily Press, Just do it Dad!

Just Do It Dad! was praised for being clean, bright and different. Towering Inferno stood out as a brave spread, booting out all the adverts. The Day The Rains Came summed up the mood of the story very well and the North Devon Journal was praised for its good handling of a big story for the town.
“Bristol rugby star Mark Regan was pivotal to England’s unlikely assault on the 2007 World Cup. On the eve of the final, Western Daily Press photographer Carlos Laprida captured the excitement of Mark’s six-year-old daughter and it was turned into a fantastic front page, headlined Just Do It Dad!, by editorial artist Tracey Feltham.”

Print Journalist of the Year (Daily) Daniel Evans, Western Daily Press

Daniel Evans was selected for a “good range of work that showed how much effort he was prepared to put in”.
He exposed how hospitals, schools and councils had paid millions over the odds after a waste disposal mix up.
His entry also included a feature on the scandal of empty homes; and an interview with the sister of a paedophile.
Daniel was also praised by the judges for his thorough investigations.

Print Journalist of the Year (Weekly) Tom Bevan, Western Gazette

The winner stood out for “putting in extra effort” to get their stories.
Tom Bevan submitted three articles that demonstrated hard-hitting human interest, balanced by community issues. These included a story about disabled football fans, tracked down after a thread on a fans’ forum; a father’s call for justice after the death of his son; and something of a micro campaign to help a homeless man.

Television Journalist of the Year Matthew Hill, BBC

Matthew Hill went undercover to investigate non-proven alternative therapies being given to vulnerable cancer patients. He also highlighted the problem of large numbers of youngsters being criminalised because of mental health problems; and investigated the potential danger to eyesight from whiteboards if used incorrectly.

Radio Journalist of the Year Nick Beake, BBC Radio Bristol

Nick Beake is the main live radio car reporter for BBC Radio Bristol and covers a wide range of regional stories. His story about the murder of a local man which led to police banning refuse collectors from clearing rubbish so they could search for a murder weapon was approached in an interesting fashion.

Newcomer of the Year Naomi Harris, Express and Echo

This is a journalist one judge said they would have snapped up straight away and a byline you can expect to read in the nationals in years to come.
Naomi Harris spent 15 days in Afghanistan delivering messages from Express and Echo readers to their loved ones serving overseas. She sent articles and a blog back to Exeter every day via satellite phone and uploaded video messages onto the paper’s website when she returned.
“What really stood out from her entry was her undercover expose from her job interview with a local lap dancing club…”

TV News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year James Garrett, ITV West Eye View – Bomb Damage

“A thorough investigation that made fascinating viewing,” the item made a national scoop for ITN.

Radio News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year Tristan Hunkin, Pirate FM

“We were really impressed with what is being achieved by the finalists in this category.
“The winner, Pirate FM News, has a clear focus on Cornish news and their coverage of the release of the HMS Cornwall hostages, including Nathan Summers from Hayle, was excellent.
“The four-person team aims to sound fresh, fun and exciting and to produce bulletins that go beyond everyday delivery, using the creative medium of radio to the full.”

Website of the Year This is Cornwall

“The judges liked its strong use of videos, with some footage of police and trading standards showing just about everything that had gone on.”

Feature Writer of the Year Martin Hesp, Western Morning News

“Incisive writing and brilliant style.”
Martin Hesp has been a journalist for 34 years and has worked for a variety of print and broadcast titles. The judges said he was a super writer and the quality of his work shone through.

Columnist of the Year Tim Davey, Bristol Evening Post

Tim Davey has been in journalism for more than 40 years and was praised for “giving something of themself without being indulgent”.
“His work was interesting and entertaining – but, above all, very touching.”

News Photographer of the Year Mikal Ludlow, Glos Media

Mikal was described as producing a “really accomplished set of pictures that captured a range of expressions”.

Some of Mikal’s work

Sports Journalist of the Year Andy Cryer, Swindon Advertiser

The ultimate winner was singled out for giving “an extra dimension to his work and including a good variety of bright writing”.
Andy Cryer is chief sports reporter at the Advertiser. He was praised by the judges for his incisive writing.

Business Journalist of the Year James Cowling, Bristol Evening Post

The winner was selected for being “very inventive and producing good human interest stories”.
James Cowling was a district reporter for the Wilts and Glos Standard, then business reporter on the Western Daily Press, before becoming the business editor of the Bristol Evening Post in 2006. His entry included three stories that made the front page splash of the main paper.

Environmental Journalist of the Year Susie Weldon, Western Daily Press

This year’s entries stood out as being the strongest field the judges have seen in the four years these awards have been running.
Suzie’s entry included an energy efficiency check of her own home; a feature on whether vegetarianism can save the World; and a feature on the issues around supermarket packaging.

Community Campaign of the Year Express and Echo – Green Shoppers Campaign

The judges said the Express and Echo had all the elements you would want in a great campaign – celebrity backing, good use of media partnerships, roles of honour and good online fact files.
“Involving local children generated huge community interest and the campaign is gaining great results.”
The Express and Echo was also keen to stress it launched its Green Shoppers Campaign six months ahead of the nationals.