Entries are now open for the 2014 Regional Press Awards, designed to celebrate the best of British regional and local journalism over the past 12 months.

The awards, organised by the Society of Editors on behalf of the industry, will be handed out at a celebratory lunch to be held at the Marriott, Grosvenor Square Hotel in London on 15 May.

Now in their fifth year under the SoE’s aegis, the awards are made possible by the sponsorship of UK Power Networks and are held in association with HoldtheFrontPage, the Press Association and the News Media Association.

Registration and entries for the awards open today at www.regionalpressawards.org.uk and close on Friday 6 March. The entry price has been pegged at £25 for the fourth successive year.

Entries can be submitted for work published in any UK local or regional newspaper or its related digital or social media platform.

Paul Horrocks, SoE President in 2007 and former editor of the Manchester Evening News will again chair the judges and shortlists will be published in mid-April.

Revenue generated by entry fees, table sales and sponsorship will pay for the not-for-profit awards programme and help to support the Journalists’ Charity.

Society of Editors Executive Director, Bob Satchwell, said: “Despite continued challenges on local and regional newspapers anyone who thinks they are in terminal decline should look at the Regional Press Awards which spotlight the vibrant, innovative journalism that serves communities brilliantly by fighting their causes, asking questions of those in authority and celebrating the successes of their readers in print and on digital platforms.”

HoldtheFrontPage will be sponsoring the Young Journalist of the Year category for the fifth successive year since helping the SoE to revive the awards in 2011. The award was won last year by Ben Leo of The Argus, Brighton.

Publisher Paul Linford said: “These awards represent the very best of regional journalism and as the home of regional journalism news and jobs we are very proud to continue our association with them this year.”

The full list of categories together with general entry criteria is as follows:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Open to journalists aged 26 or under on 31 December 2014 who have not previously been shortlisted for this award. Entries may include work from any journalistic discipline. Judges will be looking for the individual who has made significant impact over the year.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. For reporters and commentators covering all aspects of business and personal finance. Judges will be looking for the ability to break stories and explain issues to a general audience.

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR.  For journalists with specialisms not covered by any other category such as science, education, health, motoring, the environment and politics. The judges will look for journalists who break stories, analyse and explain their subject for a wider audience.

FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR.  Quality of writing is paramount. Judges will be looking for journalists who demonstrate a compelling style in news reportage, colour writing, analysis and backgrounders. Please consider very carefully whether your entry is more suitable for Feature Writer of the Year or Reporter of the Year (Weekly or Daily/Sunday).

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR. Entrants should have a regular by-lined column or blog. The winner will be a journalist with a special style and the ability to provoke debate that may annoy as much as delight.

WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Open to sports news writers, match reporters, feature writers and columnists on weekly newspapers. Entries may be from a variety of sports or one specialist area. Judges will be looking for good writing and agenda setting reporting.

DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Open to sports news writers, match reporters, feature writers and columnists on daily newspapers. Entries may be from a variety of sports or one specialist area. Judges will be looking for good writing and agenda setting reporting.

WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR. The category for weekly newspaper reporters who provide the heart and soul of any newspaper. The judges will be looking for well-researched exclusives brilliantly told. Tenacity, flair, investigative skill and an ability to handle difficult subjects carefully will score highly. In the case of long-running investigations entrants may include up to three items to count as one story.

DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR. The category for daily newspaper reporters who provide the heart and soul of any newspaper. The judges will be looking for well-researched exclusives brilliantly told. Tenacity, flair, investigative skill and an ability to handle difficult subjects carefully will score highly. In the case of long-running investigations entrants may include up to three items to count as one story.

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. News, sports and features pictures used in a weekly newspaper are eligible. Judges will look for versatility, technical skill and the ability to capture the picture that matters. The mood of an interview, subject or feature needs to come across strongly.

DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. News, sports and features pictures used in a daily newspaper are eligible. Judges will look for versatility, technical skill and the ability to capture the picture that matters. The mood of an interview, subject or feature needs to come across strongly.

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR. An award for designers and graphic artists. Judges will look at finished pages that demonstrate innovate and skilled design and layout.

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR. Entries will be judged on outstanding content, design, use of photography and readability of a supplement that is published at regular intervals or to mark a special event or achievement, either with the newspaper or clearly linked to a local or regional paper. SIX hard copies of TWO editions of the Regular Supplement or SIX hard copies of a Special Supplement will be required by the judges.

FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR. Judges will be looking for the outstanding and most memorable front page published in a regional or local newspaper during the year. You can submit up to three examples of your work in PDF format to support your entry. Each of these three examples will be considered in its own right to win this category.

SCOOP OF THE YEAR. The story or series of stories that everyone else wished they had broken. This can be a team or individual award.

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR. Judges will be looking for campaigns that made waves, struck a chord with readers and simply made a difference. This can be a team or individual award. Entries will also automatically be considered for the Making a Difference ~ People’s Choice campaign organised by Local Media Works for Local Newspaper Week. The public will be asked to vote for their best campaign, which may or may not coincide with the choice of the judges. The winner or winners of both awards will be announced at the Regional Press Awards ceremony at the end of Local Newspaper Week on Friday May 15.

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR. The judges will look for excellent reporting, writing or flair and innovation in content, design and delivery and interaction with readers and will seek to recognise journalistic achievement online. You can submit up to three PDFs or screen grabs of the best examples of your work as well as the URL for each piece of work. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.

THE DIGITAL AWARD. The judges will look for the newspaper that produces the best journalism and service to readers on a range of platforms whether print, website, mobile or any other means. Special attention will be made to innovation and use of social media including blogs. You can submit up to three PDFs or screen grabs of the best examples of your work as well as the URL for each piece of work. You should also supply the URL for the route you would prefer judges to follow to access the digital content you wish to enter. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.

JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD. The winner will be chosen by the Journalists’ Charity and is in the gift of the charity’s council and recognises an individual or body that has made an outstanding contribution to journalism and journalists in any way. The charity will select a winner and you do not need to submit an entry.

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000). Weekly newspaper of the year categories will be judged by panels of experienced senior journalists or former journalists from all parts of the media. They will consider the achievements of each of the entries across all platforms set out in submissions by editors. The judges will look for service to the local community, great exclusives and successful campaigns, editorial achievements and other outstanding journalism. Editors will be required to send in THREE different editions of their newspaper.

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 25,000)
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 25,000). Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year categories will be judged by panels of experienced senior journalists of former journalists from all parts of the media. They will consider the achievements of each of the entries across all platforms set out in submissions by editors. The judges will look for service to the local community, great exclusives and successful campaigns, editorial achievements and other outstanding journalism. Editors will need to provide THREE different editions of their newspaper.