More than 180 journalists gathered to find out who had been named the winner in 19 categories for the second EDF Energy Media Awards for the East of England, held in association with HoldtheFrontPage.

The awards were presented by Essex county cricket club all-rounder Graham Napier at the Suffolk Showground on Friday, at an event compered by broadcasters and training consultants Kevin Bentley and Karen Ainley.

Kevin told the audience: “We received more than 200 entries and standards in some categories have been exceptionally high.

“Some awards, such as Daily Reporter of the Year, Feature Writer of the Year and Photographer were particularly fiercely contested.”

In addition to the awards, the event also raised money for The Journalists’ Charity, which benefits journalists and their dependents in times of personal difficulty, with sponsors EDF Energy donating £500, on top of the proceeds of a £150-plus collection from the guests.

Below are photographs of the winners from Friday’s event, along with some quotes from the judges on what made their entry stand out.

Daily Newspaper of the Year –
Cambridge Evening News

Judges’ verdict: “punchy, without trying to be too flashy” “knows where its core readership is, and what it wants to see, and presents content in a clean and sensible way”

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Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Paid-for) –
Hoddesdon & Broxbourne Mercury/Cheshunt
& Waltham Mercury

Judges’ verdict: “lively publication with a good mix of content and clean design”

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Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Free) –
The Comet

Judges’ verdict: “strong, eye-catching front pages”, “engaging content” and a “strong community feel”. “Good, positive coverage and seemed to speak up for its area”

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Print Journalist of the Year (Daily) –
Jon Austin
Basildon Echo

Judges’ verdict: “thorough investigation which contained a lot of detail and information which was gained over a long period of time”

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Print Journalist of the Year (Weekly) –
Steve Neale
Yellow Advertiser

Judges’ verdict: “a great national exclusive and demonstrated different styles of reporting on different stories”

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Radio Journalist of the Year –
Paul Moseley
BBC Radio Norfolk

Judges’ verdict: “bringing to life their radio reports in an exciting and interesting fashion”

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Television Journalist of the Year –
Malcolm Robertson
Anglia Tv East

Judges’ verdict: “thorough reporting, excellent scripting and strong presentation style”, “vast experience shines through”

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Newcomer of the Year –
Rebecca Lefort
Evening Star, Ipswich

Judges’ verdict: “a particularly strong portfolio”

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Front Page of the Year –
Evening Star, Ipswich

Judges’ verdict: “powerful words – the quality of the subbing made the difference”

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Radio News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year –
Stephen Bumfrey
BBC Radio Norfolk

Judges’ verdict: “asks the awkward questions everyone wants to know the answers to, balanced with the ability to make you smile”

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TV News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year –
Julian Sturdy
BBC Inside Out

Judges’ verdict: “outstanding”

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Website of the Year –
Archant Herts & Cambs: Herts 24 and Cambs 24

Judges’ verdict: “busy site, an excellent standard – a pleasure to browse, with wonderful video clips from readers”

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Feature Writer of the Year –
Jemma Walton
Peterborough Evening Telegraph

Judges’ verdict: “demonstrated a good mix. Her piece on the soup kitchen and profile of the prison chaplain were said to be particularly well-written”

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Columnist of the Year –
Karl Minns
Norwich Evening News

Judges’ verdict: “over-the-top and needing a brave editor, as it was so near the knuckle”, “laugh-out-loud funny” and “a breath of non-PC air”

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News photographer of the Year –
Bill Smith
Archant

Judges’ verdict: “pictures full of emotion”

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Sports Journalist of the Year –
Derek Davis
East Anglian Daily Times

Judges’ verdict: “a strong all round entry that demonstrated how he regularly goes the extra mile”

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Business Journalist of the Year –
Chris Starkie
Eastern Daily Press

Judges’ verdict: “turns business stories into human interest articles that any reader would find gripping” (award picked up by Paul Durrant, assistant editor)

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Environmental Journalist of the Year –
Paul Brackley
Hertfordshire Mercury

Judges’ verdict: “balanced articles that got right to the heart of the subject”

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Community Campaign of the Year –
Cambridge Evening News, On the Busesfree fare campaign

Judges’ verdict: “winner was selected for the tenacity of a campaign which won the result the paper and its readers wanted”

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