Over 200 entries were submitted to this year’s Tom Cordner North East Press Awards for the 14 different prize categories.

Nearly 60 journalists, photographers and designers have been shortlisted for the ceremony which takes place in South Shields next Friday.

Newcastle’s Journal and Evening Chronicle appear to be well supplied with up-coming talent as ncjMedia boasts four of the six finalists in the trainee division.

Elsewhere, the Hexham Courant’s Brian Tilley is going head-to-head with the strong sporting prowess of The Northern Echo and Evening Chronicle/Journal in the sports reporting category.

Seven candidates have been shortlisted in the new prize for online video news coverage while judges had a busy time wading through 41 entries to the features prize.

This is the 28th time the awards are being run after they were set up in 1980 in memory of Hartlepool Mail news editor Tom Cordner who died in 1976 aged 38.

More information about the awards can be found the dedicated website.

The full shortlist is below:

Tom Cordner Quill for Trainee Journalist of the Year

Dan Warburton, Rob Pattinson, Kim Carmichael, Joanne Butcher, ncjMedia
John Sutton, Evening Gazette
Emma Greenhalgh, Hartlepool Mail

Weekly Newspaper Journalist of the Year

Kaye Jemmeson, Teesdale Mercury
Brian Tilley, Myles Hodnett, Emma Andrews, Hexham Courant

Photographer of the Year

Mike Urwin, Tim McGuinness, ncjMedia
Matthew Lloyd, North News and Pictures
Doug Jackson, Freelance
Owen Humphreys, Press Association
Chris Booth, The Northern Echo

Picture of the Year

Mike Urwin, Emily Barber, Lewis Arnold, ncjMedia
Paul Kingston, North News and Pictures
Owen Humphreys, Press Association

Hard News Reporting

Paul Watson, Hartlepool Mail
Rob Pattinson, ncjMedia
Adam Jupp, Amy Hunt, Evening Chronicle
Deborah Johnson, The Northern Echo

Magazine of the Year

Lifestyle
Food Quarter
Business Quarter
A Love Supreme

Online Video News Coverage

Ross Robertson, Sunderland Echo
David Roberts, Gavin Havery, Gavin Englebrecht, The Northern Echo
Richard Rayner, Paul Kingston, North News and Pictures
Sarah Judd, Evening Gazette

Feature Writing

David Whetstone, Alastair Gilmour, The Journal
Brian Tilley, Myles Hodnett, Hexham Courant
Mike Kelly, ncjMedia
Kaye Jemmeson, Teesdale Mercury

Sports Reporting

Scott Wilson, The Northern Echo
Brian Tilley, Hexham Courant
John Gibson, Evening Chronicle
Luke Edwards, The Journal

Health and Well-being Coverage

Chris Robinson, ncjMedia
Barry Nelson, The Northern Echo
Sophie Doughty, Evening Chronicle
Emma Andrews, Hexham Courant

Newspaper Design – Two awards to be picked from shortlist
Overall Page Design and Splash Award for Best Front and/or Back Page

Keith McCaffery, Hartlepool Mail
Chris Faulder, Sunday Sun
Babette Decker, Sean Collins, The Journal
Gary Beckwith, Evening Chronicle

Columnist or Blogger of the Year

Sam Wonfor, Alastair Gilmour, The Journal
Brian Tilley, Hexham Courant
Dave Robson, Evening Gazette
Richard Ord, Sunderland Echo
Andy Fletcher, ChronicleLive
Lindsay Bruce, Evening Gazette

Trainee with Highest NCTJ Exam Marks

No shortlist. Winner to be announced at the ceremony.

North East Journalist of the Year 2009

No shortlist. The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony.