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).

From left: Burton Mail senior reporter Helen Kreft, senior reporter Rhea Turner, editor Emma Turton and deputy editor Julie Crouch

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