The Derby Telegraph took top honours at the Regional Press Awards after being named Newspaper of the Year as well as winning two individual prizes.

Judges hailed the Trinity Mirror-owned daily as “an example to the industry” as it scooped three awards and a further two commendations at the year’s most prestigious regional press gathering.

As well as being named Newspaper of the Year for titles with a circulation under 20,000, the paper saw reporter Robin Johnson awarded the Business and Finance Journalist of the Year prize while Scoop of the Year was awarded to Isaac Crowson for his reporting of abuse at Aston Hall care home.

Isaac was also highly commended in the Daily Reporter of the Year category while the Telegraph’s ‘Horrors of Aston Hall’ revelations also scored a commendation for the Campaign of the Year award.

In their citations, judges described the Telegraph as “an example to the industry of how to tackle difficult issues in a campaigning style.”

They described Isaac’s reporting as “an absolutely riveting and veritable iceberg of a story” and the Telegraph’s uncovering of the abuse as “investigative journalism at its finest, told with rigour and confidence.”

Other big winners at today’s event at London’s Marriott Grosvenor Square included the Iliffe Media-owned Cambridge Independent which was awarded the Weekly Newspaper of the Year prize for titles under 15,000 circulation in its first year of operation.

Cambridge Independent journalist Alex Kirby also took home the newly-created Environment Journalist of the Year prize.

There were also two awards apiece for Belfast’s Sunday Life, including Newspaper of the Year for titles over 20,000 circulation, the Cumberland News, which was named best weekly over 15,000, the Irish News and Wales Online.

And the Yorkshire Post scored a brace of wins with Tony Johnson named Daily/Sunday Photographer of the Year and Sarah Freeman awarded Feature Writer of the Year.

The Young Journalist of the Year award, sponsored for the seventh year in succession by HoldtheFrontPage, went to the Oxford Mail’s Hannah Somerville, while The Journalists’ Charity Award was presented to media veteran Sir Ray Tindle for his services to the charity.

And the ‘Making a Difference’ award for papers whose campaigns have made the biggest impact on their communities went to the CN Group for ‘Save Our Services’ following this week’s public vote.

The full list of winners was as follows:

JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD
Winner: Sir Ray Tindle, Chairman, Tindle Newspapers

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by HoldTheFrontPage
Winner: Hannah Somerville, Oxford Mail
Highly commended: Jack Maguire, Jersey Evening Post

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Foot Anstey
Winner: Robin Johnson, Derby Telegraph
Highly commended: Les Reid, Coventry Observer

ENVIRONMENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by United Utilities
Winner: Alex Kirby, Cambridge Independent
Highly commended: Pete Hughes, Oxford Mail

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jen Williams, Manchester Evening News
Highly commended: Aasma Day, Lancashire Evening Post

SCIENCE AND EDUCATION JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by IP Group
Winner: Martin George, Eastern Daily Press
Highly commended: Luke Sproule, Oxford Mail

FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Sarah Freeman, The Yorkshire Post
Highly commended: Aasma Day, Lancashire Evening Post and Louis Emanuel, Bristol24/7

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Asda
Winner: Allison Morris, The Irish News
Highly commended: Robert Campbell, Western Daily Press

WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jon Colman, The Cumberland News
Highly commended: Mark Taylor, Cambridge Independent

DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Neil Loughran, The Irish News
Highly commended: James Sharpe, Leicester Mercury

WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by UK Power Networks
Winner: Emma Youle, Archant Investigations Unit
Highly commended: Charles Thomson, Yellow Advertiser

DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by UK Power Networks
Winner: Ali Gordon, Sunday Life
Highly commended: Isaac Crowson, Derby Telegraph

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Sonya Duncan, Diss Mercury
Highly commended: Michael Gillen, The Falkirk Herald

DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Tony Johnson, The Yorkshire Post
Highly commended: Andrew Cawley, Sunday Post and Simon Hulme, The Yorkshire Post

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod, Western Morning News
Highly commended: Ian Bond, Hull Daily Mail and David Lewins, Bristol Post

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Week End Magazine, Western Mail
Highly commended: The 96: In the words of their families – Liverpool Echo

THE DIGITAL AWARD – sponsored by JTI
Winner: aberfan.walesonline.co.uk, WalesOnline
Highly commended: yoppul.co.uk, Isle of Wight County Press

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR – sponsored by JTI
Winner: www.walesonline.co.uk
Highly commended: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Held by her hero, Derry News
Highly commended: 9.13am, Western Mail and Our Jo, Yorkshire Evening Post

SCOOP OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Google
Winner: Horrors of Aston Hall, Isaac Crowson, Derby Telegraph
Highly commended: Pennine Acute: The Shocking Truth, Jen Williams, Manchester Evening News and Unmasked: Isis Terror Queen, Ali Gordon, Sunday Life

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Asda
Winner: Birmingham Pub Bombing, Birmingham Mail
Highly commended: The Horrors of Aston Hall Hospital, Derby Telegraph

MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD
Winner: Save Our Services – CN Group

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 15,000)
Winner: Cambridge Independent
Highly commended: The Oxford Times

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 15,000)
Winner: The Cumberland News
Highly commended: Kent Messenger

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
Winner: Derby Telegraph
Highly commended: Western Mail

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
Winner: Sunday Life
Highly commended: Eastern Daily Press and Sunday Post