Telegraph takes top honours at Midlands awards

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by HoldtheFrontPage Staff Published 11 Mar 2011

The Derby Telegraph was last night named Midlands Newspaper of the Year as the prizes were handed out in the region’s 10th annual media awards ceremony.

Edgaston cricket ground in Birmingham played host to the Midlands Media Awards, run by the Birmingham Press Club and sponsored by Birmingham Airport.

The Northcliffe-owned Telegraph emerged as the big winner on the night with four prizes in all.

Reporter Rachel Butler was named Newcomer of the Year, Katie Burnett won the Photograph of the Year prize, while sister title the Derbyshire Magazine was voted magazine of the year.

The judges made particular mention of the Telegraph’s investigation into an on-the-run paedophile, which it tracked down and confronted in Switzerland, and its decision to send a reporter to Haiti to see how lives were being saved with the £500,000 raised by readers to help victims of the earthquake there.

Editor Steve Hall said: “I am delighted that the efforts of the Telegraph team have been recognised by our industry peers and would like to thank everyone across the company for the part that they have played in this impressive performance.”

Derby Telegraph editor Steve Hall receives the Newspaper of the Year prize from presenter Justine Hunt

There was also success for online business news start-up TheBusinessdesk.com shortly after it celebrated the first anniversary of its launch.

Deputy editor Duncan Tift was crowned Business Journalist of the Year after being praised by judges for the “depth and detail” in his stories.

It was also a good night for Staffordshire University with current student Ben Lowe winning the won the Student Journalist of the Year award in addition to recent graduate Rachel Butler’s newcomer prize.

Head of Journalism Sarah Rowlands said: “It was a proud night for Staffordshire – to have so many current students and graduates as winners and nominees is proof of the high standard of journalism teaching we deliver.”

Scoop of the year went to Mary Griffin of the Coventry Telegraph, who exposed the now infamous CCTV footage of Mary Bale putting a cat into a wheelie bin – one of three awards won by the West Midlands daily.

The full list of winners was as follows:

Magazine Of The Year: Jill Gallone, Derbyshire Magazine

Innovation: Anna Jeys, Birmingham Mail

Business Journalist: Duncan Tift, The Business Desk

Newcomer: Rachel Butler, Derby Telegraph

Radio/TV: Joanne Writtle, BBC Midlands Today

Campaign: Tina Junday, Coventry Telegraph

Student: Ben Lowe, Staffordshire University

Feature Writer: Duncan Gibbons, Coventry Telegraph

Journalist Of The Year: Jeanette Oldham, BPM Media

Columnist: Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury

Sports Journalist: Matthew Halfpenny, Nottingham Post