A reporter at a regional daily has been awarded a prize after gaining the best results of a Scottish journalist in the National Certificate Examination.

Laura Paterson, left, a senior reporter with Aberdeen’s Press and Journal, has won the TS Murray Award, which is presented each year for the best results by a candidate employed by a Scottish newspaper.

She has been given a certificate and a cheque for £125 for winning the award.

Laura studied for her preliminary exams at the Scottish Centre for Journalism in 2008 then worked for a year for weekly investigative magazine The Digger, before joining the Press and Journal in August 2010.

She said: “I was very surprised to hear that I’d won and I’m pleased to have been able to continue the Press and Journal’s winning streak with the award, as a reporter in the Aberdeen office won it last year.”

The NCE was held for the final time in November, with a pass rate of 53pc, and will be replaced next year with the National Qualification in Journalism