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Weekly leads way as Regional Press Awards shortlists are announced

RPA thumbnailThe shortlists for the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards for 2015 have been announced this morning – with one weekly title gaining no fewer than eight nominations.

The CN Group-owned Cumberland News is leading the way in the race for the industry’s premier awards which will be handed out at a ceremony in London this month.

Celebrating the best of British regional and local newspaper journalism in 2015 across all platforms, the full shortlist is published for the first time on HoldtheFrontPage this morning and will also be available on the awards website.

Other multiple nominees include the Eastern Daily Press with six, and The Argus, Birmingham Mail, Express & Star, Newcastle Chronicle, Sunday Post, and Irish News with four apiece.

The awards will be handed out at a ceremony over lunch to be held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel on Friday 20 May 2016, hosted once again by radio presenter Nick Ferrari.

The event will also see the awarding of the Making a Difference ~ People’s Choice public vote organised as part of Local Newspaper Week, for which 32 local press campaigns have already been shortlisted.

The Regional Press Awards are held in association with HoldtheFrontPage and the Press Association and made possible by the lead sponsorship of UK Power Networks alongside other commercial sponsors.

HTFP helped the Society of Editors revive the awards in 2011 and is sponsoring the Young Journalist of the Year category for the sixth year running.

In all, there were more than 600 entries with a total of 70 newspapers and media organisations nominated for at least one award.

Chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks said: “Once again the judges have been impressed by both the quality and quantity of the entries.

“We very much look forward to welcoming the shortlisted candidates on 20 May to further celebrate the work of the regions.”

SoE executive director Bob Satchwell added: “The strength of the entries reflecting the vitality of the local and regional newspapers in the UK shows that reports of their demise are seriously premature.”

Those wanting individual tickets or tables for the event should contact Angela Varley at [email protected] or on 01223 304080. Tickets for industry members are £80 and £90 (+VAT) for those outside the industry.

The full shortlist is as follows:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by HoldtheFrontPage

Rob Golledge, Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Ali Gordon, Sunday Life
Henry Holloway, The Argus, Brighton
Sophie Madden, Shropshire Star
Matt Oliver, Oxford Mail
Sophie Prideaux, Bristol Post

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Foot Anstey

Simon Bain, The Herald, Glasgow
Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post
Robin Johnson, Derby Telegraph
Mark Latham, Sunday Herald, Glasgow
Gary McDonald, The Irish News
Simon Penfold, Express & Star, Wolverhampton

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR

Janet Boyle, Sunday Post
Allison Coggan, Hull Daily Mail
Aasma Day, Lancashire Evening Post
Martin George, Eastern Daily Press
Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Charles Thomson, Yellow Advertiser

FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR

Zoe Chamberlain, Birmingham Mail
Phil Coleman, The Cumberland News
Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury
Lee Marlow, Leicester Mercury
Chae Strathie, Sunday Post
Graeme Whitfield, The Journal, Newcastle

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Asda

Emma Higginbotham, Cambridge News
Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail
Fred Leicester, Leicester Mercury
Allison Morris – The Irish News
Catriona Stewart, The Herald, Glasgow
Ericka Waller, The Argus, Brighton

WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Jon Colman, The Cumberland News
Dave Evans, Newham Recorder
Chris Harby, Melton Times
Andrew Jones, North Devon Journal
Eric Mackinnon, The Stornoway Gazette
Les Reid, Coventry Observer

DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Jon Colman, News & Star, Carlisle
Suzanne Geldard, Lancashire Telegraph
Danny Hall, Sheffield Star
Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail
James Pearce, Liverpool Echo
James Sharpe, Leicester Mercury

WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by UK Power Networks

Karen Britton, Macclesfield Express
Gareth Davies, Croydon Advertiser
Ruby Kitchen, Harrogate Advertiser
William McLennan, Camden New Journal
Les Reid, Coventry Observer
Emma Youle, Archant Investigations Unit

DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by UK Power Networks

Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life
Sophie Doughty, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Rob Golledge, Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Lindsay Pantry, Yorkshire Post
Jon Vale, Cambridge News

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Gary Browne, Kent Messenger
Richard Cave, Oxford Times
Michael Gillen, The Falkirk Herald
Ian Longthorne, Windsor Express
Stuart Walker, The Cumberland News
Mark Williamson, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald

DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Rob Browne, Media Wales
Jonathan Gawthorpe, Yorkshire Evening Post
Jon Lewis, Oxford Mail
Rob Lock, Lancashire Evening Post
Stuart Martin, Southern Daily Echo
Kris Miller, The Courier, Dundee

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Matthew Chambers, Eastern Daily Press
Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod, Western Morning News
Sian David, Bath Chronicle
David Lewins, Bristol Post
Sarah Roberts, Eastern Daily Press
Adam Walker, Media Wales

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR

GL Weekend, Gloucestershire Echo
Long To Reign Over Us, Eastern Daily Press
Scotland’s 100 Iconic Moments, Sunday Post
Spirit of Cumbria, The Cumberland News
The Way We Were, The Sentinel
Weekend, Bristol Post

FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR – sponsored by United Utilities

A City Mourns, Bath Chronicle
Decency 1 Hatred 0, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Deluged…but defiant, The Cumberland News
‘Indefensible’, Yorkshire Evening Post
Nature’s Fury, North-West Evening Mail
Thanks Andy, West Briton

SCOOP OF THE YEAR

£7m Scandal – the secret tapes, Brendan Hughes and Susan Thompson, The Irish News
Cameron Feels The Heat Over Austerity, Matt Oliver, Oxford Mail
Fat Cat Charity Bosses in Tax Dodge, Gordon Blackstock, Sunday Post
North Sea Gets £1bn vote of confidence, Rita Brown, The Press and Journal, Aberdeen
Shameful, Sophie Doughty, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Train of Shame, Ben Leo, The Argus, Brighton

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR  – sponsored by Asda

Fight the Cuts, The Cumberland News
Kids in Crisis, Hull Daily Mail
One in Eight, Hereford Times
Pay up Now, Camden New Journal
Spirit of Cumbria, The Cumberland News
#savebetsibabies, Daily Post, Wales

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR – sponsored by JTI

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk, Belfast Telegraph
www.birminghammail.co.uk, Birmingham Mail
www.chroniclelive.co.uk, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
www.dailyecho.co.uk, Southern Daily Echo
www.edp24.co.uk, Eastern Daily Press
www.irishnews.co.uk, The Irish News

THE DIGITAL AWARD – sponsored by JTI

Boxing Day Floods liveblog, Manchester Evening News
Hillsborough Inquests, Liverpool Echo
Pink Un Interactive, Eastern Daily Press
Rugby World Cup, Wales Online
Trinity Mirror Data Unit, Trinity Mirror
Use of social media, Manchester Evening News

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)

Essex Chronicle
Kentish Gazette
Macclesfield Express
Newbury Weekly News
The Cumberland News
The Scarborough News

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)

Camden New Journal
Isle of Wight County Press
Kent Messenger
Rotherham Advertiser
The Westmorland Gazette
West Briton

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)

Bradford Telegraph & Argus
Cambridge News
News & Star, Carlisle
Sunday Mercury
The Argus, Brighton
The Press, York

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)

Aberdeen Press & Journal
Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Hull Daily Mail
Southern Daily Echo
The Courier, Dundee
Yorkshire Post

15 comments

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  • April 25, 2016 at 9:09 am
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    Photographers Awards Category!!!

    Well done to those on the shortlist..if you win it may save your job for a year….sad times..

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  • April 25, 2016 at 9:19 am
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    snappy: I doubt it I’m afraid. My own company won’t have anyone shortlisted as they’ve all been made redundant. Can I nominate some readers?

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  • April 25, 2016 at 9:24 am
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    I’m surprised there are any staff photographers left to be nominated but good luck to them all !

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  • April 25, 2016 at 10:17 am
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    How about an award for a CEO who has made the most redundancies and destroyed the most number of newspapers to make huge profits for shareholders?

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  • April 25, 2016 at 10:19 am
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    Good luck to all who are still out there, doing it and making a difference in the industry and their communities.

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  • April 25, 2016 at 12:47 pm
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    Words Worth: They’ll be awarded in Heaven (and their fat bonuses)

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  • April 25, 2016 at 12:55 pm
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    Shame nothing for any hyperlocals … that’s where growth is.

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  • April 25, 2016 at 2:29 pm
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    I notice the O2 Media Awards, for the Yorkshire region anyway, have dispensed with the Photographer of the Year category. It is renamed Images of the Year. Why bother?

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  • April 25, 2016 at 5:19 pm
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    Why on earth is the Bristol Post’s mediocre, uncomprehensive, under-performing Weekend supplement shortlisted? Since the demise of Venue magazine a few years ago, Bristol/Bath have been bereft of the quality, full-size what’s-on guide their thriving entertainment scenes deserve and need.

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  • April 25, 2016 at 8:48 pm
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    Essex Chronicle is now in the under 20,000 sales category? Must be a bittersweet nomination; I remember when it sold 50,000+

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  • April 26, 2016 at 6:57 am
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    Yorkshire Post still above 20,000? Suspect that’s the last year it’ll be eligible for that category.

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  • April 26, 2016 at 8:28 am
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    There should be a whole awards scheme for independent local / hyper local publications, that’s where the quakity service and future is and without the politics and predictable winners associated with the more established regional media awards.

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  • April 26, 2016 at 10:30 am
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    What about a “Managed to get a paper out every week” award?
    Some papers struggle just to do that, let alone worry about ego-bloating awards.

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  • April 26, 2016 at 3:28 pm
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    Totally agree with Bill … sadly there’s an arrogance that says the ‘daily papers’ are where it’s at and there’s a real snootiness towards the hyperlocals. Yet I wonder who will have the last laugh!

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  • April 28, 2016 at 12:01 am
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    Nominations

    WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
    The Cumberland News

    WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
    The Westmorland Gazette

    Hmmm… readers don’t think the CN is leading the way in Cumbria…

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