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Northern Ireland daily named top regional paper

Belfast-based daily the Irish News has taken top honours at the Regional Press Awards after being named the Regional Newspaper of the Year.

The title was awarded the prize at the ceremony in London today after first being named the Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year with a circulation above 25,000.

It beat off competition from a shortlist of all the winning newspaper titles – which included the Derry News (Weekly Newspaper below 20,000), the Essex Chronicle (Weekly Newspaper above 20,000) and the Carlisle-based News & Star (Daily/Sunday Newspaper below 25,000).

Editor Noel Doran, pictured below after receiving the award, said: “I’d like to thank all out staff who have performed magnificently. It’s a fantastic achievement and we’re all thrilled.”

 

This year’s awards were run by the Society of Editors, in partnership with HoldtheFrontPage, the Newspaper Society, the Press Association and the Journalists’ Charity, with the ceremony held at London’s Park Plaza Riverbank.

Judges said the Irish News was a serious newspaper that was prepared to take a stance and described it as a heavyweight title at the heart of one of the newsiest cities in the world.

They were impressed by its consistent sales performance over two decades, its confident position on online publishing and the ‘outstanding’ quality of its journalism and campaigns.

And the paper scooped another award after its journalist Allison Morris won the Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year title.

Other winners included the Manchester Evening News, which was awarded the Digital Innovation of the Year title for Police 24, with judges saying the paper’s coverage of Greater Manchester Police’s tweets broke new ground in live data journalism.

The Campaign of the Year title was won by the Norwich Evening News for its End the Indignity drive which forced a U-turn from NHS management.

Paul Francis, the political editor from the Kent Messenger, won the Weekly Reporter of the Year title, while the award for the Young Journalist of the Year, which was sponsored by HoldtheFrontPage, went to Dan Warburton of Newcastle’s NCJ Media.

The awards, which were hosted by radio presenter Nick Ferrari, took place to coincide with the Newspaper Society AGM and Local Newspaper Week 2011 and sponsors included Camelot, Asda and UK Power Networks.

Introducing the ceremony, SoE executive director Bob Satchwell said: “This is your day to celebrate the heroes of our own trade. Congratulations to the best of the best.”

Chairman of the judges Peter Sands added: “I am delighted the awards are back and are, at long last, being run by the industry for the industry. If we don’t recognise the excellence, innovation, commitment and talent that is very much alive in the regional press, who will?”

The full list of winners was:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Dan Warburton, NCJ Media
Highly Commended: Ryan Crighton, The Press and Journal

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOUNALIST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Jon Griffin, Birmingham Mail
Highly Commended: Simon Bain, The Herald, Glasgow

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life

FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Adam Wakelin, Leicester Mercury
Highly Commended: Gail Walker, Belfast Telegraph

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Colin Drury, The Star, Sheffield
Highly Commended: John Connery, News Letter, Ulster

WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: David Powell, North Devon Journal
Highly Commended: Jon Colman, Cumberland News

DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Jon Colman, News & Star
Highly Commended: John Gibson, Newcastle Evening Chronicle

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Chris Gleave, Manchester Evening News Weekly Group

DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Mark McCormick, Sunday Life
Highly Commended: Matthew Horwood, Media Wales

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Ian Bond, Hull Daily Mail
Highly Commended: Alan Formby-Jackson, Evening Gazette, Middlesbrough

DIGITAL INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Manchester Evening News, Police 24
Highly Commended: NCJ Media, The Hunt for Raoul Moat

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Farewell To The Ark, The News, Portsmouth

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Banter, Bristol Evening Post

WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Paul Francis, Kent Messenger
Highly Commended: Lui Straccia, Luton and Dunstable Express

DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Allison Morris, The Irish News
Highly Commended: Ben Kendall, Eastern Daily Press

FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Help Us Grow, Bristol Evening Post

SCOOP OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Jeanette Oldham, Sunday Mercury
Highly Commended: Lui Straccia, Luton and Dunstable Express

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
WINNER: End the Indignity, Norwich Evening News
Highly Commended: You Saved Tea Bar, Greenock Telegraph
Highly Commended: Jet Set NHS, The Irish News

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
WINNER: Derry News
Highly Commended: Ham & High

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
WINNER: Essex Chronicle

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 25,000)
WINNER: News & Star, Carlisle

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 25,000)
WINNER: The Irish News
Highly Commended: Yorkshire Post

REGIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: The Irish News

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  • May 12, 2011 at 10:00 am
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    Congratulations to all involved but you never explained why the scoop won scoop of the year.

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