Regional newspapers have once again scooped a host of nominations for the Newspaper Awards.

Now in its ninth year, the competition is dedicated to newspaper production, and will see regional newspapers go head to head with their national counterparts in a number of categories.

Among those in with a chance of picking up an award are the Liverpool Daily Post, Sunday Herald and the Surrey Advertiser, which are all nominated for Newspaper Design of the Year - alongside The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Independent on Sunday.

The Express & Star in Wolverhampton and the Nottingham Evening Post are also shortlisted, in the Most Innovative Technology of the Year category, but they face competition from The Scotsman, The Sunday Times and Independent Newspapers.

In the regional-only categories the Leicester Mercury, Liverpool Daily Post, Manchester Evening News, Reading Evening Post, The Citizen (Gloucester) and the Western Daily Press will all compete for the title of Regional Newspaper of the Year.

In the regional weekly newspaper category the Slough & Langley Observer, Stamford Mercury, Surrey Advertiser, The Oxford Times, Watford Observer and Weston & Somerset Mercury will all be vying for the prize.

There are also two web-based awards up for grabs, for Best Daily Newspaper on the World Wide Web and Best Weekly Newspaper on the World Wide Web, and the nominations for these are due to be announced shortly.

A full list of print nominees can be found here.

Winners will be announced at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Wednesday, May 11.

For more about the event visit
www.newspaperawards.co.uk.