The West Midlands Media Awards are to take place for the first time next March.

The event, organised by Birmingham Press Club, had originally been planned to take place this autumn, but they have now decided to wait until the spring, to fill the gap left by the BT Regional Media Awards.

The BT awards had been a popular and well-known event for the past eight years, but ran for the last time this year.

Organisers say that the new West Midlands Media Awards will be open to all forms of media, from newspapers to broadcasting and the Internet.

BT is expected to maintain its connections with media awards in the area as the company has been named as one of the sponsors of the Press Club event.

Other sponsors who have signed up included British European, which is backing the business journalist of the year category, and Travel West Midlands, which is sponsoring the news reporter of the year award.

There are also categories for scoop of the year, headline of the year; news photographer of the year; sports photographer of the year; sports journalist of the year; newcomer of the year; PR professional of the year; best use of technology; and newspaper of the year.

And a special award for the person deemed to have been 'Irritant of the Year' during the past 12 months will be voted for on the night of the awards ceremony itself.

Andrew Sparrow, chairman of Birmingham Press Club, said: "When BT decided to back our scheme, we felt it was the right thing to do to move the event to their old slot in the calendar.

"That meant that there was real continuity in place when it came to an event recognising the achievements of the local media in the Midlands."

The awards will take place in March at Birmingham's Burlington Hotel and will be open to a wide Midlands area - including Shropshire in the west, Derby in the north, Nottingham, Coventry, Worcester and Leicester.

Details of how to enter will be announced shortly.

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