The Liverpool Echo is leading the way in the race for this year’s O2 North West Media Awards after the shortlist was unveiled.

The Trinity Mirror title has eight nominations for the awards which will be handed out on 13 November at The Imperial War Museum in Manchester.

Other multiple nominees include The Sentinel, Stoke with five nominations and the Lancashire Telegraph, Lancashire Evening Post and Manchester Evening News with three apiece.

The Oldham Evening Chronicle also receives three individual nominations including one for managing editor Dave Whaley for Feature Writer of the Year following his series of first-person pieces about his battle with throat cancer.

Nicola Green, Director of Communications and Reputation at O2 UK, said the judging panels were hugely impressed by this year’s submissions.

“I know that in every single category the selection of the finalists was a bitterly contested and often heated affair. So many people came so close to being nominated but missed out by the narrowest of margins,” she said.

“The panels wanted me to pass on their thanks and commiserations to all those who didn’t make the final line-up but make these awards so popular.

The presentation evening will be a celebration of all that is good about regional media…it’s just a pity that we can’t get everyone who took part in this year’s awards into the room,” added Nicola.

The full shortlist is as follows:

Photographer of the Year

Gareth Jones – Liverpool Echo
Andy Lambert – Manchester Evening News
Darren Robinson – Oldham Evening Chronicle
Harry Atkinson – North West Evening Mail

New Media Award

Mike Price – Liverpool Echo
Ben Turner – Liverpool Echo
Cumbria Live
Chester Chronicle

Supplement of the Year

Liverpool Echo – Great War 100 Years
Stoke Sentinel – D Day the Final Salute
Cumberland News – Cumbria Remembers
Lancashire Telegraph – Letters from the Front Line

Weekly News Reporter of the Year

Jamie Bowman – Crosby Herald
Rachel Flint – Chester Chronicle
Carmella De Lucia – Chester Chronicle
Anna Smith – Westmorland Gazette
Matthew Hobbs – Warrington Guardian

Weekly Sports Reporter of the Year

Adam Lord – The Visitor & Lancaster Guardian
Jon Colman – Cumberland News
Ross McLean – Westmorland Gazette

Team of the Year

Global Radio North West
BBC Radio Lancashire
Lancashire Evening Post
The Sentinel
2BR

Specialist Publication of the Year

Carlisle Living
Lancashire Life
North West Business Insider
All Together Now

Free Distribution Newspaper

St Helens Star
Wirral Globe
Runcorn and Widnes World
Midweek Visiter
Champion Newspapers

Feature Writer of the Year

Paddy Shennan – Liverpool Echo
Richard Ault – The Sentinel
Dave Whaley – Oldham Evening Chronicle
Diane Cooke – Lancashire Telegraph

Scoop of the Year

Liverpool Echo (Hillsborough Wikipedia slurs)
Granada Reports (BNP leader in ‘crip’ row)
Lancashire Evening Post (Dog ate my face but saved my life)

Young Reporter of the Year

Dan Hewitt –  ITV Granada
Adam McClean – ITV Granada
Samantha Yarwood –  Flintshire Chronicle
Georgina Stubbs – Southport Visiter
Nick Smith – Radio City

Community Journalism Award

The Sentinel
Juice FM
Blackpool Gazette
Cumbrian Newspapers

Specialist Writer of the Year

Gill Johnson – Lancashire Telegraph
Jane McCubbin – BBC North West Tonight
Maureen Hodges – Cumberland News
Aasma Day – Lancashire Evening Post

Sports Reporter of the Year

Chris Hall – ITV Granada
Mick Coyle – Radio City
Matthew Chambers – Oldham Evening Chronicle
Stuart Pollitt – BBC North West Tonight

Radio Journalist of the Year

Tim Padfield – BBC Radio Lancashire
Andy Downton – Global Radio North West
Michelle Livesey – Key 103

Broadcast Presenter of the Year

Mike Hall –  ITV Granada
Michelle Ponting – Key 103
Annabel Tiffin – BBC North West Tonight

TV Journalist of the Year

Dave Guest – BBC North West Tonight
Jayne McCubbin – BBC North West Tonight
Abbie Jones – BBC North West Tonight
Dan Hewitt – ITV Granada

Weekly Newspaper of the Year

Warrington Guardian
Chester Chronicle
Westmorland Gazette

News Reporter of the Year

Neal Keeling – Manchester Evening News
Ashley Derricott – ITV Granada
Michelle Livesey – Key 103
Phil Coleman – News & Star
Helen Hunt – Liverpool Echo

Daily Newspaper of the Year

The Sentinel
North West Evening Mail
Liverpool Echo
News and Star