A regional daily scooped five accolades at its parent company’s annual awards.

The Oxford Mail triumphed in a quintet of categories at the 2016 Newsquest Excellence Awards, which were announced earlier this week.

The Mail won the Newsbrand award and three sales-related honours, while photographer Jon Lewis was given the Best Use of Photography or Video title – an accolade he also won last year.

Bournemouth Echo digital editor Samantha Shepherd won the Digital Media award for being “instrumental” in increasing her newspaper’s social media following, while David Morgan and Lauren Hirst, of the Warrington Guardian, jointly took the Journalist of the Year prize for their coverage of a car crash in Sweden which killed all four members of local band Viola Beach.

The Oxford Mail triumphed in five awards

Diarmuid Macdonagh, of the Dorset Echo, took the Editor/Head of Content prize.

Newsquest chief executive Henry Faure Walker said: “These awards provide an opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the huge contributions that you, our staff, make to our brands and business.

“They reflect the commitment and innovation taking place across Newsquest every day as we transition the business to a sustainable multi-media future. In spite of a tough year for the print publishing industry, Newsquest continued to excel, outperforming its peers in the key metrics of circulation, online audience, advertising, digital revenues and profitability.

“Keeping the print plates spinning whilst developing our digital businesses requires skill, hard work and determination, something that our award winners have demonstrated in spades.”

The full list of winners is as follows:

Advertisement Sales Leader: Shane Harding, Oxford

Best Use of Photography or Video: John Lewis, Oxford Mail

Digital Media: Sam Shepherd, Bournemouth Echo

Digital Sales Centre: Wiltshire

Editor/Head of Content: Diarmuid Macdonagh, Dorset Echo

Group Support Employee: Hitesh Mistry, Southampton

Innovator: Samantha Taylor, Deborah Bowen and Nicole Garnon, South Wales Argus

Journalist of the Year: David Morgan & Lauren Hirst, Warrington Guardian

Newspaper Sales: Tom Mitchell, Newsquest Oxfordshire & Wiltshire

Newsbrand: Oxford Mail

Publishing Centre: York

Sales Person: Wendy Hand, York

Unsung Hero: Claire Kieran, Oxford