The EDF Energy East of England Media Awards 2012 open for entry today with two new categories launched.

The awards, held in association with HoldtheFrontPage, now include prizes for Specialist Journalist and Digital Journalist of the Year.

Now in their eighth year, the awards aim to honour the best in journalism across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire (up to the M25).

Individual award winners receive a £100 cheque, certificate and trophy, and all those shortlisted, along with their guests, will be invited to a presentation ceremony courtesy of EDF Energy.

Only material published between 11 October 2011 and 14 October 2012 will be eligible, and the deadline for entries is 5pm, Friday 23 November 2012.

You can download the entry form here.

Last year’s winners included the Ipswich Star which was named Daily Newspaper of the year while the Essex Chronicle picked up three awards.

The new Specialist and Digital Journalist of the Year categories replace the Environmental and Business categories.

The specialist category is open to journalists who report on any specialist subject for regional or local publications or broadcasters, for example politics, education, crime, business, environment and health, but not sport which has a category of its own.

Digital Journalist of the Year is an award for newspaper, broadcast or web journalists who use creative and innovative ways to reach and engage with audiences through one or more digital platforms for regional or local publications or broadcast media.

There are 20 categories in all to choose from, covering daily and weekly newspapers, designers and broadcasters as follows:

Print Journalist of the Year (Daily)
Print Journalist of the Year (Weekly)
Radio Journalist of the Year
Television Journalist of the Year
Newcomer of the Year
Feature Writer of the Year
Designer of the Year
News Photographer of the Year
Sports Journalist of the Year
Digital Journalist of the Year
Specialist Journalist of the Year
Columnist of the Year

Daily Newspaper of the Year
Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Paid-for)
Weekly Newspaper of the Year (Free)
Front Page of the Year
Radio News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year
Television News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year
Website of the Year
Community Campaign of the Year

People can submit work for as many categories as they wish but each must be accompanied by a separate entry form and approved by their editor.

All entries should be sent (by 5pm, Friday 23 November 2012) to:

Paul Linford
HoldtheFrontPage
Northcliffe House
Meadow Road
Derby DE1 2BH

If you have any questions or queries about the awards or the event itself, please e-mail Paul Linford at HTFP or Becky Clark at EDF Energy.