Journalists from across Scotland are invited to compete for honours at the country’s premier press awards which have been launched for entries.

The 32nd Scottish Press Awards, which are run by the Scottish Newspaper Society, will recognise the best in Scotland’s newspaper industry in 21 categories, including Scoop of the Year, Journalist Team of the Year and New Media Journalist of the Year.

Journalists working for Scottish-based newspapers, magazines and news websites plus journalists based in Scotland and writing exclusively on Scottish affairs for non-Scottish titles are all eligible to enter.

Last year, Glasgow-based The Herald was awarded the Newspaper of the Year title and Herald reporter Lucy Adams was named both the Journalist of the Year and the Reporter of the Year.

Scotsman editor John McLellan, who is chair of the SNS editors’ committee, said: “With a general election, the Steven Purcell affair, the Tommy Sheridan trial and the winter weather chaos, 2010 has been a packed year for Scottish news and despite extremely difficult times within the industry the quality of journalism has remained remarkably high.

“I have no doubt the judging panel will have as difficult a job on their hands as ever to separate the contenders.”

Entries for the awards must have been published between 1 January and 31 December this year and the closing date for submissions is 19 January 2011.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow on 21 April and tickets are priced at £100 each or £1,000 for a table of ten.

For further information, visit scottishpressawards.co.uk.