Shortlists for the Society of Editors’ Regional Press Awards celebrating the best of British regional newspaper journalism in 2011 have been announced.
A total of 740 entries were received for the awards which will be handed out at an Oscars-style lunchtime awards ceremony at the Savoy Place, London, on 25 May.
The awards have been made possible by the lead sponsorship of UK Power Networks and are also supported by Asda, media law firm Foot Anstey, the Press Association, Silverstream TV and HoldTheFrontPage, which will sponsor the award for Young Journalist of the Year for the second year running.
The Society of Editors organises the awards in conjunction with the Newspaper Society.
Chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks said: “Panels of independent judges have pored over more than 700 entries to produce the shortlists.
“The entries demonstrated the amazing quality of journalistic effort that is still being produced in these challenging times for the whole of the media and regional and local papers in particular.”
The awards ceremony, hosted by broadcaster Nick Ferrari, will start at 12noon and will be followed by lunch. The Editor of the Year and Newspaper of the Year awards will be presented at the end of the lunch.
Society of Editors executive director Bob Satchwell said: “We are again pleased to help celebrate the brilliant journalism in local and regional newspapers which provides a terrific service to communities across the UK against a difficult economic background.”
For tickets or tables for the event please contact Kate McMillan at [email protected] or on 07736 070066.
Availability is limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets for industry members are £65 or £75 for those outside the industry.
The full shortlist is as follows:
Young Journalist of the Year
Ashleigh Barbour – Aberdeen Press and Journal
Dominic Howell – Nottingham Post
Alice Hutton – Cambridge News
Emily Koch – Bristol Evening Post
Ruth Lawson – NCJ Media
Business & Finance Journalist of the Year
Simon Bain – The Herald, Glasgow
Jenny Chapman – Cambridge News
Jon Griffin – Birmingham Mail
Robin Johnson – Derby Telegraph
Catherine Lea – Hull Daily Mail
Specialist Writer of the Year
Jon Austin – Basildon Echo
Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life
Paul Gallagher – Manchester Evening News
Seanin Graham – Irish News
Nicky Harley – Hull Daily Mail
Feature Writer of the Year
Lucy Adams – The Herald, Glasgow
Janet King – Western Morning News
Lee Marlow – Leicester Mercury
John McGurk – Sunday Life
Adam Wakelin – Leicester Mercury
Columnist of the Year
Aled Blake – Western Mail
Carolyn Hitt – Western Mail
Ian Midgley – Hull Daily Mail
Elaine Morgan – Western Mail
Paul Taylor – Manchester Evening News
Weekly Sports Journalist of the Year
Matthew Elder – Fife Free Press
Danny Hall – Sheffield Star, Grass Roots
Mark Jenkin – North Devon Journal
Amanda Little – Cumberland News
David Powell – North Devon Journal
Daily/Sunday Sports Journalist of the Year
Steven Beacom – Belfast Telegraph
Jon Colman – Carlisle News & Star
Mark Douglas – Sunday Sun
John Gibson – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Simon Walter – Southern Daily Echo
Weekly Photographer of the Year
Stephen Garnett – Craven Herald
Michael Gillen – Falkirk Herald
Sean Hansford – Rochdale Observer
John Jenkins – Lincolnshire Echo
Joe Lord – East London Advertiser
Daily/Sunday Photographer of the Year
Anthony Chappel-Ross – The Press, York
Rowland Hobson – Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Simon Hulme – Yorkshire Post
Gary Longbottom – Yorkshire Post
Ian Robinson – Lancashire Evening Post
Weekly Reporter of the Year
Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser
Stuart Greer – Oldham Advertiser
Tom Jennings – Witney Gazette
Lui Straccia – Luton on Sunday
Louise Wallace – Lincolnshire Echo
Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year
Bimpe Archer – Irish News
Jon Austin – Basildon Echo
Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life
John McGurk – Sunday Life
Ben Rossington – Liverpool Echo
Designer of the Year Award
Gary Beckwith – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Ian Bond – Hull Daily Mail
Sean Collins – The Journal, Newcastle
David Lewins – Bristol Evening Post
Doug Young – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
The Digital Award
Belfasttelegraph.co.uk – Belfast Telegraph
Liverpool Post and Echo
Manchester Evening News
Pinkun.com – Norwich Evening News
The 12 Plays of Christmas – Lancashire Evening Post
Supplement of the Year
Yorkshire Post Magazine
Weekend – Belfast Telegraph
Culture – The Journal, Newcastle
NE Business Magazine – The Journal, Newcastle
Western Mail Magazine
Special Supplement of the Year
The Blitz – Hull Daily Mail
Welsh Warriors – Wales on Sunday
Skelmersdale celebrates 50 years – Skelmersdale Advertiser
Most Influential – The Journal, Newcastle
Liverpool Playhouse – Liverpool Daily Post
Front Page of the Year
Carried on a Sea of Unity – Belfast Telegraph
Help Bring These Rioters to Justice – Croydon Advertiser
The Night Fire Took Lives of My four Babies – Derby Telegraph
Wanted – Lancashire Evening Post
Is This How You Feel? – Western Mail
Scoop of the Year
Bimpe Archer – Irish News
Jon Austin – Basildon Echo
Nicky Harley – Hull Daily Mail
Neil Macfarlane – Evening Gazette, Middlesborough
Rob Waugh & John Roberts – Yorkshire Post
Campaign of the Year
Lillian’s Law – Croydon Advertiser
An Industry Betrayed – Derby Telegraph
Missing from Home – Manchester Evening News
Fighting Censorship by Killers – Sunday Life
Whistleblower – Wirral Globe
Weekly Newspaper (below 20k)
The Northern Scot
The Ulster Herald
Brentwood Gazette
Birmingham Post
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
Weekly Newspaper (above 20k)
Essex Chronicle
Newbury Weekly News
Camden New Journal
Westmorland Gazette
Surrey Advertiser
Daily/Sunday (below 25k)
Cambridge News
Lancashire Evening Post
The Journal, Newcastle
Daily/Sunday (above 25k)
Sunday Life
Manchester Evening News
Belfast Telegraph
Sunday Mercury
Yorkshire Post
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Erm…did any free newspapers enter? A cursory glance seems that only one free gets a look in at these awards.
Once again paid-fors dominate the short list with the same old suspects trotted out.
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Is there no shortlist for Editor of the Year – or are you waiting to see who still has a job (or a paper) by then?
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Who’s going to enter editor of the year tho – seems a bit egotistical eh! As you have to pay to enter that rules out most of the frees I would imagine…
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They should have some new categories – most cocked up cut back, biggest slash of staff, and best ‘other interest’ pursued by a former editor…
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Well done to all those shortlisted. It’s nice to read something on this website other than redundancy gloom and doom.
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Totally agree with “typical”. It’s always the big boys with their huge newsrooms and budgets who are favoured over smaller set-ups which produce fantastic papers on a shoestring. Throw enough money at an operation and you’re going to produce a decent product – but achieve the same without any cash or staff and then you’re really proving something. Why no category for frees, and while we’re at it, why the exorbitant entry fees?
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Overlooked – thank you!
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Overlooked, Typical, what about the individuals shortlisted – don’t they deserve recognition? I can think of one good example from the Young Journalist category who’s making a real name for herself for all the right reasons, not least hard work and attention to detail.
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The only people who are interested are those still fortunate to be working in the industry.
Readers, of course, don’t give a hoot about such things.
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