The shortlists for the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards for 2014 are published here for the first time today.

Held in association with HoldtheFrontPage, the awards are designed to celebrate the best of British regional and local newspaper journalism in 2014 in print, online and any other news platform.

Leading the way in the race for nominations are the Birmingham Mail and Trinity Mirror’s Welsh division Media Wales with seven apiece, while the Eastern Daily Press and Sunday Post each have six.

The awards will be handed out at a lunchtime ceremony at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel on Friday 15 May 2015, to be hosted once again by LBC presenter Nick Ferrari.

The Regional Press Awards have been organised by the Society of Editors on behalf of the industry since 2011 and are made possible by the lead sponsorship of UK Power Networks.

They are supported by ASDA, ABC and Foot Anstey and held in association with HoldtheFrontPage and the Press Association.

Chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks said: “Once again the judges have been impressed by both the quality and quantity of the entries.  We very much look forward to welcoming the shortlisted candidates on 15 May to further celebrate the work of the regions.”

Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors added: “The strength of the entries reflecting the vitality of the local and regional newspapers in the UK shows that reports of their demise are seriously premature.”

HoldtheFrontPage will be sponsoring the Young Journalist of the Year award for the fifth year running and in addition, for the first time, the Specialist Journalist of the Year prize.

Publisher Paul Linford said:  “HTFP is delighted to be strengthening its association with the awards this year by the sponsorship of an additional category and we are sure they will continue to be a great success.”

The event will also see the awarding of the Making a Difference ~ People’s Choice public vote organised by Local Media Works, part of News Media UK, for Local Newspaper Week.

As previously reported on HTFP, a total of 37 candidates have been shortlisted for the prize which aims to highlight the campaign work undertaken by the local press in the UK.

The week begins on 11 May, when an online poll will allow members of the public to vote for their favourite campaign from the past 12 months.

The winner from the selection, which can be viewed here, will be announced alongside the winner of the Society of Editors Campaign of the Year Award on the day.

For individual tickets or tables for the event please contact Angela Varley at [email protected] or on 01223 304080. Availability is limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets for industry members are £75 and £85 (+VAT) for those outside the industry.

For further information or comment please contact Bob Satchwell on 01223 304080 or [email protected].

The full shortlist is as follows:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by HoldtheFrontPage

Isaac Crowson – Derby Telegraph
Gareth Davies – The Argus
Laura Hill – Harrogate Advertiser
Brendan Hughes – The Irish News
Ciaran Jones – Media Wales
Elaine O’Flynn – The Bolton News

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Foot Anstey

Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon
Simon Bain – The Herald, Glasgow
Bernard Ginns – The Yorkshire Post
Jon Griffin – Birmingham Mail
Robin Johnson – Derby Telegraph
Simon Penfold – Express & Star, Wolverhampton

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by HoldtheFrontPage

Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon
Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life
Janet Boyle – Sunday Post
Aasma Day – Lancashire Evening Post
Martin George – Eastern Daily Press
Jeanette Oldham – Birmingham Mail

FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR

Catherine Barnes – Western Morning News
Gemma Collins – Leicester Mercury
Rowan Mantell – Eastern Daily Press
Lee Marlow – Leicester Mercury
Kate Proctor – The Journal, Newcastle
Chae Strathie –Sunday Post

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by ASDA

Emma Clayton – Bradford Telegraph & Argus
Carolyn Hitt – Media Wales
Fred Leicester – Leicester Mercury
Allison Morris – The Irish News
Catriona Stewart – The Herald, Glasgow
Daniel Wainwright – Express & Star, Wolverhampton

WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Jon Colman – The Cumberland News
Danny Hall – The Star, Sheffield
Chris Harby – Melton Times
Andrew Jones – North Devon Journal
Eric Mackinnon – The Stornoway Gazette
George Thorpe – Packet Newspapers

DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Paul Abbandonato – Media Wales
Phil Buckingham – Hull Daily Mail
Jon Colman – News & Star, Carlisle
Suzanne Geldard – Lancashire Telegraph
Mark Guidi – Sunday Post
Chris Wathan – Media Wales

WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by UK Power Networks

Louisa Clarence-Smith – Wimbledon Guardian
Phil Coleman – The Cumberland News
Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser
John Elworthy – Cambs Times
Antony Gedge – Cambrian News
Emma Hobley – Braintree and Witham Times

DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by UK Power Networks

Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon
Gordon Blackstock – The Sunday Post
Allison Coggan – Hull Daily Mail
Patricia Devlin – Sunday Life
Patrick Knox – Southern Daily Echo
Mike Lockley – Birmingham Mail

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Richard Cave – Oxford Times
Michael Gillen – The Falkirk Herald
Ian Longthorne – Baylis Media Ltd
Arwyn Parry-Jones- Cambrian News
Anita Ross-Marshall – Bucks Free Press
Christopher Whiteoak – Aldershot News & Mail

DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Denise Bradley – Eastern Daily Press
David Fleming – Oxford Mail
Cliff Hide – Oxford Mail
Paul Jacobs – The News, Portsmouth
Jon Lewis – Oxford Mail
Mike Sewell – Leicester Mercury

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod – Western Morning News
Sian David – Bath Chronicle
Annette Hudson – Eastern Daily Press
Gus Proctor – Dundee Courier and Advertiser
Le-Anne Reeves – Eastern Daily Press
Adam Walker – Media Wales

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR

Celebrating 100 years – Sunday Post
Cumbria@40 – The Cumberland News
First World War – Dundee Courier and Advertiser
Great War 100 – Liverpool Echo
More – Leicester Mercury
The Yorkshire Post Magazine

FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR – sponsored by ABC

‘Beyond Belief’ – Dundee Evening Telegraph
‘End of a dream’ – Edinburgh Evening News
‘Goodbye Big Man’ – Belfast Telegraph
‘Man is killed by train, then this happened’ – Brentwood Gazette
‘Phew, it’s over. A big thanks to…’ – Western Mail
‘We Will Remember Them’ – Dorset Echo

SCOOP OF THE YEAR

‘Beyond Belief’, Darren Hamilton – Dundee Evening Telegraph
‘Echo nabs £1million fraudster’, Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon
‘H’Boro Insults Posted from Government Computers’, Oliver Duggan – Liverpool Echo
‘I’m glad dog ate my face’, Aasma Day, Lancashire Evening Post
‘Michaella: My Story’, Patricia Devlin – Sunday Life
‘This will really get up your nose’, Marc Meneaud – Sunday Post

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – sponsored by ASDA

75-Year Cover-Up – Birmingham Mail
Greengate Memorial – Manchester Evening News
Harold Morgan Appeal – Media Wales
Keep Our Streets Free – News & Star, Carlisle
Loneliness: The Hidden Epidemic – The Yorkshire Post
Manchester Dogs Home – Manchester Evening News

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR – sponsored by JTI

Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Birmingham Mail
edp24.co.uk
Kent Online
Liverpool Echo
P&J Online

THE DIGITAL AWARD – sponsored by JTI

Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Birmingham Mail
Great North Run Million – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Newsroom 3.1 – Trinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror Data Unit
Wales Online

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)

Bath Chronicle
Brentwood Gazette
Cambrian News
Keighley News
Kent Messenger
Macclesfield Express

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)

Camden New Journal
Croydon Advertiser
Essex Chronicle
North Devon Journal
The Cumberland News
The Westmorland Gazette

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 25,000)

Cambridge News
Dorset Echo
News & Star, Carlisle
Sunday Echo
The Journal, Newcastle
Western Mail

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 25,000)

Aberdeen Press and Journal
Birmingham Mail
Eastern Daily Press
Liverpool Echo
Sunday Life
The Irish News