Two regional press journalists saw off stiff competition from the nationals to scoop prizes for medical journalism.

Clare Boyd, of the Nottingham Evening Post, and the Birmingham Post’s Emma Brady both took gongs at the 2007 Norwich Union Healthcare Medical Journalism Awards.

Clare won £750 and the award for best newcomer for her piece MRSA – City Develops Vaccine.

The prize goes to journalists who have been writing about healthcare for less than three years.

Her story reported on a potentially life-saving vaccine against MRSA being developed by scientists at the University of Nottingham.

Mark Nicholls, chairman of the general medical judging panel and health correspondent of the Eastern Daily Press, said: “This piece was an in-depth analysis on a possible cure for MRSA being pioneered in Nottingham.

“It used a range of interviewees and was brilliantly put together.”

Clare with Mark

Emma Brady took £1,000 and top spot in the consumer news category for her story Pioneering Op to Save Neil’s Hand about a soldier who underwent 17 hours of surgery at Selly Oak Hospital.

Her story, which was also short listed for story of the year, beat competition from The Times, The Independent and Liverpool Echo, bringing Emma a hat-trick of awards in the past three years.

Mark Nicholls said: “This was an outstanding piece of journalism that had all the right ingredients.

“It was a very well-written, good story showing what medicine can achieve and was vividly illustrated with a number of interviewees giving each side of the story.”