With more than 320 entries to sift through, the panel of  judges for this year’s EDF Energy London and South of England Media Awards faced a tough task in choosing a winner for each of the 20 categories.

Here’s our round-up of what the judges said about the victorious entrants.

Newcomer of the Year: Pavan Amara, Camden New Journal

What the judges said:  “Pavan included a fantastic story about a mother empathising with her son’s killers. There’s a temptation to go in with a hard line but this is a human story oozing emotion, reflecting without spin or embellishment. It was beautifully written.”

Digital Journalist of the Year: Joanna Till, Croydon Today

What the judges said: “Joanna has a comprehensive approach to digital reporting. She uses social media to source the story of an explosion at Croydon police station, breaking the news online, running a live blog, and crowdsourcing witness accounts and pictures.”

Specialist Journalist of the Year: Christine Alsford, ITV Meridian

What the judges said:  “An expert on her subject matter, producing thorough, well thought out work, with pictures really matching and helping to tell the story.  Great human interest stories that really flow.”

News Photographer of the Year: Chris Moorhouse, Southern Daily Echo

What the judges said:  “It’s easy to miss everything that’s happening in a crowded pub when there’s a vital football match underway, but Chris’ shot of fans’ joy and spilt pints is a great one. A strong all round selection.”

Sports Journalist of the Year: Andy Steggall, Pergall Media

What the judges said:  “Andy entered three examples of features crafted for BBC South’s late kick off programme.  They cover aspects of football that you don’t usually get to see. The subject matter – gambling, suicide, money – is sensitively handled.”

Feature Writer of the Year: Stephen Bailey, Bournemouth Daily Echo

What the judges said:  “We were impressed by his thought-provoking writing. The subject matter always comes to the fore through great interviews that form the heart of stories told well.”

Columnist of the Year: Paul Francis, Kent Messenger

What the judges said:  “A thorough examination and musings on the workings of one of the country’s largest local authorities – Kent County Council. He’s without doubt on top of what’s going on there, and through his writing makes archaic proceedings come to life.”

Designer of the Year: Ashley Austen, KM Group

What the judges said:  “Ashley shows real class in his entry. It includes a brilliant Charles Dickens supplement, with lovely layout, intelligent use of black and white photos, blending with easy-to-read maps and good headlines, fact-files and imagery.”

Radio Journalist of the Year: Liz Allaway, Wave 105

What the judges said: “Exclusive access gave Liz the opportunity to tackle a tough subject for Wave 105 – the police officers who have the grim task of looking at images of child abuse in their search for offenders. Snappy production and insightful interviews led to a newsy and captivating piece.”

Television Journalist of the Year: Tom Edwards, BBC London

What the judges said:  “Tom’s work this year at BBC London included a brilliant undercover film lifting the lid on the dodgy dealings of scrap metal merchants willing to buy stolen goods. There’s also a well told story about secret job cuts, which Tom secures following a tip off.”

Weekly Print Journalist of the Year: Dan Carrier, Camden New Journal

What the judges said: “Dan’s entry stood out with three great reads for the Camden New Journal.  This is a reporter in the business of telling people things they don’t know. His work is fair, accurate and balanced.”

Daily Print Journalist of the Year: Jenny Makin, Southern Daily Echo

What the judges said:  “A brilliant job on getting the full story behind a foster carer’s conviction for sexually abusing children in his care. Victims are tracked down around the country – and abroad – and agree to waive their anonymity.  It’s a powerful story, packed with emotion.”

Website of the Year: Southern Daily Echo – dailyecho.co.uk

What the judges said:  “Stands out for high traffic, good design, interactivity, use of social media and innovation.  Its average of 450,000 monthly unique users is up 50,000 in a year, and it has significant social media presence, with 25,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook.”

Community Campaign of the Year: Southern Daily Echo – Clampers Get the Boot

What the judges said: “‘Clampers get the boot’ escalates from a local story into a well delivered campaign. The paper quickly identifies that strong reader reaction to the initial story is worth building on – and decides to champion the battle to expose the dodgy practices of local clampers with ferocity.”

Front Page of the Year: Croydon Guardian – The night madness took hold

What the judges said:  “The judges loved the headline and image.  For news events as big and as dramatic as last year’s riots, the paper gets it spot on for a story that deserves something ‘stand out‘ – which readers get with this ‘poster image’ approach.”

Radio news or current affairs programme of the year: Wave 105 – Inside Afghanistan, Wave 105

What the judges said:  “A 30 minute report by reporter Jason Becker, who spent 11 days in the country with the British army. Sound is used to great effect – at one point 30 seconds of guitar strumming by a soldier cuts straight to gun fire and live action.”

Television news or current affairs programme of the year: ITV Meridian – Titanic

What the judges said: “An imaginative approach, built around the presenter’s personal link with family who died in the disaster.  It becomes even more real – and local – when reporter Andrew Pate goes to houses connected with the event – homes of those who died or survived.”

Free Weekly Newspaper of the Year: East Grinstead Courier and Observer

What the judges said: “The Courier and Observer is packed with news – great stories that the reporters have clearly gone out and sourced themselves. The stories are never overlong and there’s a strong supporting cast to the news. The design is really clean and overall it’s a classy product.”

Paid for Weekly Newspaper of the Year: Croydon Advertiser

What the judges said: “Excellent coverage of last year’s riots dominates the Croydon Advertisers’ entry. The 100 day follow up impressed the judges too, with five pages devoted to different people’s views – on what they think were the causes of the riots, but also looking ahead.”

Daily Newspaper of the Year: The News, Portsmouth

What the judges said: “A string of great news stories as well as action-packed sports coverage. The paper also launched a year-long initiative to encourage the love of reading amongst schoolchildren, part of its great approach to marking the bi-centenary of the birth of Charles Dickens in the city.”