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Judges line-up for South West Media Awards unveiled

The line-up of judges can now be unveiled for the EDF Energy South West Media Awards with the entry deadline looming.

As usual the panel contains some impressive names with decades of journalistic experience between them.

The awards, run in association with HoldtheFrontPage, cover Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

The judging is taking place on Wednesday 8 April in Crawley.

There are just days to go to get your entries in before the official closing date of Friday, 27 March. The entry form can be downloaded now here.

The judging panel is as follows:

  • Nigel Pickover has been editor of the Evening Star, Ipswich, since 1996 and is also the current president of the Society of Editors.

    Nigel began his career at 17 as a trainee on The Star, in Sheffield, and has worked as a sub-editor on both the Daily Mail and Daily Express.

  • Mark Waldron was appointed editor of The News, Portsmouth, in June 2007 having previously been editor of the Swindon Advertiser for three years.

    Before that, Mark had been deputy editor of the South Wales Echo, in Cardiff, and has also worked at the Hull Daily Mail and the Aldershot News.

  • Denise Eaton is editor of the Gravesend Messenger and began her career in production before training as a reporter.

    She got first job as a reporter on the Evening Echo, Basildon and Southend, in 1990 and rose to be deputy editor before leaving in 1997 to join the KM Group.

  • Karen Ainley is a former regional TV reporter and presenter and once again provides the main broadcasting expertise on the panel.

    She began her journalism career as a reporter on weekly and evening papers and is an experienced Chartered Institute of Public Relations-approved media trainer.

  • Nigel Bowles is co-director at the photographic agency John Connor Press Associates which supplies pictures for the national press and a number of corporate clients.

    He spent five years on the picture desk at The Argus, in Brighton, before leaving to take up his current role.

  • Claire Byrd is the head of regional media relations for award sponsors EDF Energy.

    A former news editor and assistant editor of The Argus, she is now in charge of EDF Energy’s regional media activity across the country.

    There is still just time to enter any of the 20 categories. Entries should be sent to:

    Paul Linford
    HoldtheFrontPage
    Northcliffe House
    Meadow Road
    Derby
    DE1 2BH