The Sunday Herald, Edinburgh Evening News and The Scotsman have been honoured at the Refugee Week Scottish Media Awards.

The competition, organised by the Oxfam Asylum Positive Images Network, recognises journalists who cover issues relating to asylum seekers, such as the problems they face and how they are integrating into society, and judges chose winners who raised public awareness in a fair and balanced way.

Winners included Rachelle Money, from the Sunday Herald, who scooped the National Print Category for an article about families living in fear of deportation.

The Local Print Category was won by Hazel Mollison and Adrian Mather from the Edinburgh Evening News for an article headlined ‘Refugee From Genocide to be Kicked Out’, and Ian MacNicol from The Scotsman collected the Photography prize.

The winners with their awards. Pic: Iain Campbell

Other winners were Lindsay Hill from BBC Scotland, who scooped the Broadcasting prize, and a Special Award went to The Big Issue for its Refugee Week 2006 edition.

Jason Bergen, Oxfam’s Asylum Project Officer said: “Scottish journalists are setting the standard across the United Kingdom when it comes to reporting asylum matters.

“The winning articles, broadcasts and photographs reflect not only the problems faced by asylum seekers but also how asylum seekers have immersed themselves into life in Scotland.”

Mahamad Al Shagra, an exiled journalist living in Scotland, who was one of the judges, added: “The media is very influential when it comes to presenting images of asylum seekers but with that influence comes responsibility.

“The winning journalists have produced work of the highest calibre and I am pleased that they presented asylum seekers as an important part of Scottish life who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”