Entries for this year’s Regional Press Awards open today with the newspaper categories focusing on digital reach as well as print circulation.

Designed to celebrate the best of UK journalism during the calendar year 2019, the awards comprise of 38 categories covering daily and weekly newspapers, news websites and social media plartforms.

The closing date for entries is 2 March and a shortlist will be announced in April 2020 ahead of the awards ceremony on Friday 5 June 2020 at the IET, Savoy Place, London.

In a new development, newspaper of the year contenders will no longer be categorised according to print circulation as measured by ABC but according to total monthly reach as measured by JICREG in November 2019.

This means, for instance, that daily newspapers previously categorised as above or below 20,000 circulation will now be categorised as above or below 400,000 total audience reach.

Sunday newspapers will also be included in the weekly newspaper of the year categories for the first time, as the methodology for calculating the Sunday total monthly reach is similar to that of a weekly rather than a daily.

SoE executive director Ian Murray said: “The industry has moved on and quite correctly recognises the total audience its titles reach with their superb news, sports and features coverage.

“The Regional Press Awards will now recognise those figures also as part of this crucial celebration of the vital role the vibrant regional press plays in the communities the length and breadth of the UK.”

Included in the awards categories will be the Cathryn Nicoll Interviewer of the Year award, which will be running for its second consecutive year.

The award was launched last year in memory of Cathryn Nicoll who held the position of the news editor at the Croydon Advertiser during her career as a journalist and rewards a £500 cash prize to its chosen winner.

Entries for the awards can be submitted via the SoE website from today and the registration page can be found here.

The full list of categories is as follows.

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 Daily Papers
Columnist of the Year Weekly Papers
Sports Journalist of the Year – Daily Paper
Sports Journalist of the Year – Sunday/Weekly Paper*
Social Media Journalist of the Year
Reporting Communities Award
Weekly/ Sunday Reporter of the Year
Daily Reporter of the Year
Weekly/ Sunday Photographer of the Year
Daily Photographer of the Year
Designer of the Year – Newspaper
Designer of the Year – Magazine/ Supplement
Supplement of the Year
Magazine of the Year
Front Page of the Year – Weekly/ Sunday Paper
Front Page of the Year – Daily Paper
Scoop of the Year
Campaign of the Year Daily Paper
Campaign of the Year Weekly/Sunday Paper
Website of the Year
Social Media Team of the Year
Data Journalist of the Year
Digital Live News Reporter of the Year
Digital Live Sports Reporter of the Year
Digital Initiative of the Year
The Overall Digital Award
Innovation and Initiative of the Year
The Cathryn Nicoll Award
Journalists’ Charity Award for outstanding contribution to journalism
Paid for Weekly Newspaper of the Year (including Sunday Newspapers) above 50,0000 total monthly reach
Paid for Weekly Newspaper of the Year below 50,000 total monthly reach
Daily Newspaper of the Year above 400,000 total monthly reach
Daily Newspaper of the Year below 400,000 total monthly reach
Free Weekly Newspaper of the Year