A regional daily beat off competition from a nearby sister title to be crowned the best newspaper in the Midlands.
The Burton Mail won the Newspaper of the Year prize at last night’s Midlands Media Awards while fellow Trinity Mirror daily the Derby Telegraph, based 11 miles up the A38, was highly commended along with Wolverhampton’s Express & Star.
Judges at the Awards, run by the Birmingham Press Club, described the Mail as a “model local newspaper” which “benefited from not being overly designed”.
Neil Elkes, the Birmingham Mail’s local government correspondent, took the News Reporter of the Year (Daily) award and Mike Lockley, of its sister Sunday Mercury title, was crowned News Reporter of the Year (Weekly).
Mike also received the President’s Award, chosen form category winners, for “sheer all-year-round consistency, entertainment value and ability to capture the reader’s interest”.
In the Business Journalist of the Year category, the Coventry Telegraph’s Enda Mullen triumphed while Les Reid, of city rival the Coventry Observer, was highly commended.
Burton Mail editor Emma Turton said: “I am delighted that the hard work of the Mail team has been recognised. I am incredibly proud to lead the team and want to thank everyone who plays a part in the day-to-day production of our paper.”
The full list of winners is as follows:
Blogger/Columnist of the Year
Winner
Anton Rippon – Derby Telegraph
Highly Commended
Mike Lockley – Birmingham Mail
Jenny Amphlett – The Sentinel, Stoke
Business Journalist of the Year
Winner
Enda Mullen – Coventry Telegraph
Highly Commended
Les Reid – Coventry Observer
Campaign of the Year
Joint Winners
Birmingham Mail for ‘Justice for the 21′
Express & Star, Wolverhampton for ‘Zombie Knives’
Highly Commended
Tamworth Herald for ‘Forgotten Warrior’
Tamworth Herald/Lichfield Mercury for ‘Save the Hospital Unit’
The Sentinel, Stoke for ‘Stoke-on-Trent City of Culture Bid’
Digital/Online Journalist of the Year
Winner
Caroline Lowbridge – BBC East Midlands
Highly Commended
James Sharpe – Leicester Mercury
Feature Writer of the Year
Winner
Richard Ault – The Sentinel, Stoke
Highly Commended
Jessica Labhart – Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Magazine/Supplement of the Year
Winner
Kathryn Emerson, University of Worcester – Venture
Highly Commended
Birmingham Mail – Birmingham 2022
Shropshire Business
Newcomer of the Year
Winner
Gemma Davies – Quidem Radio/Touch FM/Rugby FM/Banbury Sound
Highly Commended
Jack Furness – The Sentinel, Stoke
Michael McCann – Staffordshire University Student/Freelance
Rhea Turner – Burton Mail
News Reporter of the Year (Daily)
Winner
Neil Elkes – Birmingham Mail
Highly Commended
Enda Mullen – Coventry Telegraph
Jeanette Oldham – Birmingham Mail
News Reporter of the Year (Weekly)
Winner
Mike Lockley – Sunday Mercury
Highly Commended
Jordan Coussins – Central Independent Newspapers
Newspaper of the Year
Winner
Burton Mail
Highly Commended
Derby Telegraph
Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Radio Journalist of the Year
Winner
Jennie Aitken – BBC Radio Stoke
Highly Commended
Louise Easton – Free Radio
Alex Hulse – Global’s Newsroom Midlands
Story of the Year
Joint Winners
Jonathan Gibson – BBC Inside Out West Midlands for ‘NHS Repeat Prescription Fraud’
Isaac Crowson – Derby Telegraph for ‘Horrors of Aston Hall’
Highly Commended
Michael McCann – Staffordshire University
Jonathan Gibson – BBC
Audrey Dias – BBC Midlands Today
Sports Journalist of the Year
Winner
Lewis Cox – Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Highly Commended
Steve Clamp – ITV Central
Michael Sibert – ITV Central
Television Journalist of the Year
Winner
Jonathan Gibson – BBC Inside Out West Midlands
Highly Commended
Mark Gough – ITV Central
Michael Sibert – ITV Central
Sian Grzeszczyk – BBC
The Tony Flanagan Photographer of the Year Award
Winner
Richard T Harris – Central Independent Newspapers
Highly Commended
Steve Bould – The Sentinel, Stoke
Nick Wilkinson – Birmingham Mail
The President’s Award
Winner
Mike Lockley
Well done, Emma. Great achievement.
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Congratulations to Emma and the entire team in Burton. Really pleased to see the title recognised. Keep up the great work!
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