Entries are now open for this year’s Regional Press Awards with six new categories up for grabs.

Journalists have until Thursday 8 March to submit their entries for the year’s biggest regional media event, which this year is returning to the IET London, Savoy Place for the first time since 2013.

Organised by the Society of Editors, the 18 May ceremony will see a record 30 prizes handed out – up four from last year – with new categories covering social media journalism, digital design and digital initiatives.

There will also be a new ‘Reporting Communities’ award designed to recognise newspapers and journalists who have ensured the “diverse communities” on their patch are well-served.

In addition some of the existing categories have been rebranded to reflect what the SoE decribes as “modern newsroom demands.”

The Specialist Writer category is renamed Specialist Writer/Impact Journalist of the Year’ while Feature Writer becomes Feature Writer/Long-form Journalist of the Year.

Two categories introduced last year, Environmental Journalist of the Year and Science and Education Journalist of the Year, have been dropped from the line-up.

SoE executive director Ian Murray said that the changes were designed to better reflect the new skills and platforms used by the regional media.

Said Ian:  “Anyone who works in a regional newsroom knows that the emphasis is now firmly on digital journalism and we have ensured that this year’s awards reflect that reality while not downgrading the continuing excellence in more traditional categories.”

The not-for-profits awards, which are held in association with HoldtheFrontPage, are designed to celebrate the best of UK regional and local newspaper journalism with any work published during the calendar year 2017 eligible for entry.

The entry price has been pegged at £25 for the seventh successive year, with any surpluses generated by entry fees, table sales and sponsorship helping to support the Journalists’ Charity.

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

Said Paul: “Once again the Society of Editors is proud to host the premier awards recognising the fantastic journalism produced in the regions.

“They recognise the enormous contribution journalism makes to the fabric of the UK and to communities where journalists uncover issues which others would prefer remain hidden.”

The awards are also made possible by the support of UK Power Networks, United Utilities, JTI, Cision, Foot Anstey, the News Media Association and the Press Association.

The full list of categories is below. Full details of the new awards and guidance on how to register and enter can be found at www.regionalpressawards.org.uk.

General Awards

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
SPECIALIST WRITER/ IMPACT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
FEATURE WRITER /LONG FORM JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
SOCIAL MEDIA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
REPORTING COMMUNITIES AWARD
WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR

Visual awards

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
DIGITAL DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Team awards

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM OF THE YEAR
DIGITAL INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
THE OVERALL DIGITAL AWARD
INNOVATION AND INITIATIVE AWARD OF THE YEAR
JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 15,000)
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 15,000)
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)

The awards also include the Making a Difference ~ People’s Choice public vote for campaign of the year, organised by the News Media Association’s Local Media Works for Local Newspaper Week.