Regional newspapers are again being invited to bid for a share of £2,500 to help supplement their coverage of cricket.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced the launch of its Domestic Cricket Journalism Awards for 2018, at which a Regional Newspaper of the Year prize is up for grabs.

For the third year in a row a £2,500 fund is being made available along with the prize, and cash awards will be made to assist regional titles in supplementing existing coverage of the sport provided by staff reporters.

The Nottingham Post won the category overall in 2017, while Cornwall’s Sunday Independent and Newcastle-based titles The Journal and Sunday Sun also won a share of the fund.

This category is open to any daily, evening or weekly regional newspaper in England and Wales.

Entrants are required to submit examples of their newspaper’s coverage of domestic cricket – be it county, recreational or the women’s Super League.

A maximum of five articles, published after January 1 2018 and before December 31 2018, can be submitted.

Entrants are also required to supply a short statement of no more than 200 words explaining how the publication improved its coverage of domestic cricket in 2018.

The judging panel will factor in the resources available to all shortlisted titles before making its final decision.

The closing date for entries is Monday 11 February, and more information can be found here.