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Shortlist announced for Regional Press Awards

The full shortlists for the Society of Editors’ Regional Press Awards 2012 have been announced.

More than 600 entries were received for the awards which aim to recognise brilliant journalism in UK local and regional newspapers in print and online.

Leading the way with five nominations apiece are the Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo, which received two nominations for its Hillsborough coverage.

There were four nominations for the Edinburgh Evening News, Basildon Echo, Lincolnshire Echo and Coventry Telegraph – three of which were for political reporter Les Reid.

Held in association with HoldtheFrontPage and the Press Association, the awards will be handed out in a lunchtime ceremony at Savoy Place, London, on 17 May.

Tickets for the ceremony, which will be hosted by broadcaster Nick Ferrari, start at £65 and are available from [email protected].

Judging for the awards took place at PA’s London offices on Monday under the chairmanship of former Manchester Evening News editor Paul Horrocks.

Said Paul:  “The judges had a difficult task across all of the categories. In many cases any one of shortlisted candidates could be a winner and it is only after painstaking scrutiny and careful debate that the winners emerge.”

The awards are made possible by the lead sponsorship of UK Power Networks and are supported by Asda and Foot Anstey.

For the third year running, HoldtheFrontPage is sponsoring and presenting the Young Journalist of the Year prize.

Society of Editors executive director Bob Satchwell said: “These awards reflect and spotlight the tremendous journalism that can be found every day or every week across the UK in regional and local newspapers that represent their readers and serve their communities so well.”

The full shortlist is as follows:

Young Journalist of the Year

Rachael Burnett – Dorset Echo
Bill Gardner – The Argus
Jacqueline McMillan – The Echo, Basildon
Sam Morris – Lincolnshire Echo
Richard Wheatstone – Manchester Evening News

Business and Finance Journalist of the Year

Simon Bain – The Herald, Glasgow
Alistair Houghton – Liverpool Daily Post
Robin Johnson – Derby Telegraph
Catherine Lea – Hull Daily Mail
Les Reid – Coventry Telegraph

Specialist Writer of the Year

Melanie Adams – Southern Daily Echo
Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon
Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life
Jennifer McKiernan – Aberdeen Evening Express
Jeanette Oldham – Birmingham Mail

Feature Writer of the Year

Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser
Emma Higginbotham – Cambridge News
Richard Osley – Camden New Journal
Kate Proctor – The Journal, Newcastle
Paddy Shennan – Liverpool Echo

Columnist of the Year

Carolyn Hitt – Western Mail
Paul Kirkley – Cambridge News
Fred Leicester – Leicester Mercury
Mike Lockley – Sunday Mercury
Les Reid – Coventry Telegraph

Weekly Sports Journalist of the Year

Jon Colman – The Cumberland News
Chris Harby – Melton Times
Amanda Little – The Cumberland News
Eric Mackinnon – The Stornoway Gazette
David Powell – North Devon Journal

Daily/Sunday Sports Journalist of the Year

John Gibson – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Amanda Little – Carlisle News and Star
Stevie Roden – Nottingham Post
Simon Walter – Southern Daily Echo
Scott Wilson – The Northern Echo

Weekly Reporter of the Year

Jill Buchanan – The Falkirk Herald
David Churchill – Croydon Advertiser
Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser
Claire Smyth – Western Gazette
Mark Williams– Lincolnshire Echo

Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year

David Bartlett – Liverpool Echo
Les Reid – Coventry Telegraph
Martin Shipton – Media Wales
Kevin Shoesmith – Hull Daily Mail
Rob Waugh – Yorkshire Post

Weekly Photographer of the Year

Anna Draper – Lincolnshire Echo
Stephen Garnett – Craven Herald
Michael Gillen – The Falkirk Herald
Isabel Infantes – The Docklands & East London Advertiser
Joe Lord – The Docklands and East London Advertiser, The Ilford Recorder

Daily/Sunday Photographer of the Year

Robert Binder – Lancashire Telegraph
Frank Dwyer – The Press, York
Kate Lowe – Derby Telegraph
Ian Rutherford – The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday
Mike Sewell – Leicester Mercury

Designer of the Year

Ian Bond – Hull Daily Mail
Mark Fearn – Edinburgh Evening News
David Hamburgh – Edinburgh Evening News
David Lewins – Bristol Evening Post
Marc White – Media Wales

Supplement of the Year

More Magazine – Leicester Mercury
Titanic – Belfast Telegraph
The Weekend – Bristol Evening Post
Weekend – Belfast Telegraph
When London Called – Eastern Daily Press

Front Page of the Year

Etched On Her Flesh- Derby Telegraph
Revenge of the Trams – Edinburgh Evening News
96 Reasons For The Truth – Liverpool Echo
We Are With You – Manchester Evening News
Merv’s Boots – Western Mail

Scoop of the Year

Melanie Adams – Southern Daily Echo
Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon
Gina Davidson – Edinburgh Evening News
Seanin Graham, –Irish News
Jennifer Williams – Manchester Evening News

Campaign of the Year

Cassie’s Law – Colchester Daily Gazette
Coventry surgery campaign – Coventry Telegraph
Hillsborough – Liverpool Echo
5 Tons of Tins – Nottingham Post
Council highways contract expose – Wirral Globe

Website of the Year

Cambridge News
Wales Online
Liverpool Post and Echo
Manchester Evening News
Shetland News

The Digital Award

Daily Post, North Wales
Anna Lukala – The Echo, Basildon
Express & Star, Wolverhampton
The PinkUn – Norwich Evening News
The Wales Online Datastore – Media Wales

Weekly Newspaper (Below 20,000)

Brentwood Gazette
Bucks Free Press
The Cornishman
Kent Messenger
The Inverness Courier

Weekly Newspaper (Above 20,000)

Cambrian News
Camden New Journal
The Cumberland News
Lincolnshire Echo
Westmorland Gazette

Daily/Sunday Newspaper (Below 25,000)

Bradford Telegraph and Argus
Dorset Echo
Dundee Evening Telegraph
South Wales Argus
Wales on Sunday

Daily/Sunday Newspaper (Above 25,000)

Aberdeen Press and Journal
Express and Star Wolverhampton
Liverpool Echo
Manchester Evening News
Sunday Life