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Four dailies scoop Regional Press Awards hat-tricks as winners announced

Four regional dailies scored a hat-trick of prizes each at this year’s Regional Press Awards as journalists were honoured for their work during 2020.

The annual honours were revealed this lunchtime, with the Liverpool Echo taking home the title of Daily Newspaper of the Year above 400,000 monthly reach and the Jersey Evening Post taking home the equivalent title for below 400,000 monthly reach.

The Echo’s success was capped off with individual awards for political editor Liam Thorp, who was named Specialist Writer/Impact Journalist of the Year, and court reporter Neil Docking, who won Digital Live News Reporter of the Year.

Its Reach plc sister title the Manchester Evening News scored a digital treble, landing Website of the Year and the Overall Digital Award, with MEN audience editor Samantha Yarwood being named Social Media Journalist of the Year.

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Wales Online, another Reach title, won Scoop of the Year for its story on coroanvirus in Welsh care homes, while its journalists Abbie Wightwick and Will Hayward triumphed in the Reporting Communities Award and Data Journalist of the Year categories respectively.

Abbie’s title was shared with MyLondon’s Thomas Kingsley, whose colleague Sian Bayley won The Cathryn Nicoll Award.

Eastern Daily Press editorial designer Georgia Robinson won a brace of titles, being named Designer of the Year for both Newspapers and Magazines/Supplements, while the EDP itself received Supplement/Section of the Year for its magazine The Business.

The awards, designed to recognise excellence throughout the regional and local print and online media, were organised by the Society of Editors and supported by the Facebook Journalism Project and a host of other sponsors including HoldtheFrontPage.

Society of Editors executive director Dawn Alford said: “The work done by the journalists, photographers, designers and editors showcased in these awards is inspiring.

“In such a difficult period of time, their work has been essential in keeping the public informed, campaigning on issues, making us laugh and making us cry.”

Other titles to be honoured include the Warrington Guardian, named Paid For Weekly Newspaper of the Year above 50,000 total monthly reach, and its Newsquest sister title the Hexham Courant, which won the same honour for papers below 50,000 total monthly reach.

The Herald on Sunday was named Sunday Newspaper of the Year, while Free Weekly Newspaper of the Year was shared by the Jewish News and Camden New Journal.

The prizes for the best daily and weekly front pages, sponsored by HoldtheFrontPage, went to the Teesside Gazette and the Impartial Reporter.

The Enniskillen-based Reporter’s John McVitty was named Weekly Photographer of the Year, while Kevin Scott, of the Belfast Telegraph, won the equivalent Daily/Sunday title.

A Special 2020 award, recognising the work of the sector during the coroanvirus pandemic, was given to the Aberdeen Journals Home Delivery Team.

Sarah Brown, Facebook’s Head of Northern Europe News Partnerships, said: “It has been a remarkable 18 months by any standards and the courage, bravery and incredible work all the journalists and teams nominated have done has been truly inspiring.

“Please keep up your extraordinary work reporting on communities across the country, helping them keep informed in times of crisis. It is remarkable work and I’m glad it is being rewarded.”

The full list of winners is below.

Young Journalist of the Year – sponsored by Amazon
Winner: Andra Maciuca, Saffron Walden Reporter and Dunmow Broadcast
Winner: Conor Matchett, The Scotsman/Edinburgh Evening News
Highly commended: Jack Aitchison, Glasgow Times

Business & Finance Journalist of the Year
Winner: Martin Williams, The Herald and Herald on Sunday
Highly commended: Coreena Ford, The Journal
Highly commended: Hannah Baker, Bristol Post/BusinessLive South West

Specialist Writer/Impact Journalist of the Year
Winner: Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: Dale Haslam, DC Thomson Media

Feature Writer/Long Form Journalist of the Year
Winner: Teddy Jamieson, The Herald (Scotland)
Highly commended: David Owens, Western Mail

Columnist of the Year
Winner: Paul Kirkley, Cambridge Independent
Highly commended: Neil Mackay, The Herald and Herald on Sunday (Scotland)

Social Media Journalist of the Year – sponsored by Facebook Journalism Project
Winner: Samantha Yarwood, Manchester Evening News
Highly commended: John Wilson, Hereford Times

Sports Journalist of the Year – Weekly Papers
Winner: Jon Colman, The Cumberland News
Highly commended: Mark Taylor, Cambridge Independent

Sports Journalist of the Year – Daily/Sunday Papers
Winner: Matt Maher, Express & Star
Highly commended: Paul Ferguson, Sunday Life

Reporting Communities Award
Winner: Abbie Wightwick, WalesOnline
Winner: Thomas Kingsley, MyLondon
Highly commended: Conor Gogarty, Bristol Live
Highly commended: Catriona Stewart, Glasgow Times and The Herald

Data Journalist of the Year
Winner: Will Hayward, WalesOnline/Western Mail
Highly commended: Lesley-Anne Kelly, DC Thomson Media

Digital Live News Reporter of the Year
Winner: Neil Docking, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: Jonathan Macpherson, Lancs Live

Weekly Reporter of the Year
Winner: Charles Thomson, Archant Investigations Unit
Highly commended: Bronwen Weatherby, Camden New Journal

Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year
Winner: Emily Townsend, East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star
Highly commended: Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life

The Cathryn Nicoll Award – in association with the NMA
Winner: Sian Bayley, MyLondon

Weekly Photographer of the Year
Winner: John McVitty, Impartial Reporter
Highly commended: Mark Williamson, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald

Daily/Sunday Photographer of the Year
Winner: Kevin Scott, Belfast Telegraph
Highly commended: Colm O’Reilly, Sunday Life

Designer of the Year: Newspapers
Winner: Georgia Robinson, Eastern Daily Press
Highly commended: Gary Beckwith, Newcastle Chronicle
Highly commended: Nancy Fallows, Eastern Daily Press
High commended: Ian Bond, Hull Daily Mail

Designer of the Year: Magazines/Supplements
Winner: Georgia Robinson, Eastern Daily Press
Highly commended: Nancy Fallows, Eastern Daily Press

Supplement/Section of the Year
Winner: The Business, Eastern Daily Press
Highly commended: Weekend, Belfast Telegraph

Special Supplement of the Year
Winner: Glastonbury 50, County Gazette
Highly commended: Cumberland & Westmorland Herald: 160 years

Magazine of the Year
Winner: Cumbria Life
Highly commended: The Herald Magazine,Scotland

Front Page of the Year – Weekly Papers – sponsored by HoldTheFrontPage
Winner: We didn’t get to say goodbye, Impartial Reporter
Highly commended: ‘Be safe, be careful and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’, WokinghamToday

Front Page of the Year – Daily/Sunday Papers – sponsored by HoldTheFrontPage
Winner: Middlesbrough needs… Intensive Care, The Gazette
Highly commended: Our Life in Lockdown, Hull Daily Mail

Scoop of the Year
Winner: Coronavirus in Welsh care homes – the disaster that didn’t have to happen, WalesOnline
Highly commended: Safe House sting sinks new IRA, Sunday Life
Highly commended: The arrest of Joe Anderson, Liverpool Echo

Campaign of the Year
Winner: Death in care: Families fighting for justice for their failed loved ones, Essex Live
Highly commended: BrumWish, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Highly commended: Cambridgeshire Coronavirus Fund, Cambridge News

Website of the Year – sponsored by Google News Initiative
Winner: Manchester Evening News
Highly commended: Plymouth Live

Social Media Team of the Year – sponsored by Facebook Journalism Project
Winner: Yorkshire Live
Highly commended: Glasgow Times Digital Team

Digital Initiative of the Year – sponsored by Facebook Journalism Project
Winner: The Mill newsletter, Manchester
Highly commended: Robot reporter updates local audiences on coronavirus infection rates, Manchester Evening News

The Overall Digital Award – sponsored by Facebook Journalism Project
Winner: Manchester Evening News
Highly commended: Wales Online

Special 2020 Award
Winner: Aberdeen Journals Home Delivery Team, The Press & Journal
Highly commended: Newsquest Regional ACE network (Team RACE)

Paid for Weekly Newspaper of the Year (below 50,000 total monthly reach) – sponsored by Camelot
Winner: The Hexham Courant
Highly commended: Cumberland & Westmorland Herald
Highly commended: The Ulster Herald

Paid For Weekly Newspaper of the Year (above 50,000 total monthly reach) – sponsored by Camelot
Winner: Warrington Guardian
Highly commended: Kent Messenger
Highly commended: Kentish Gazette

Daily Newspaper of the Year (below 400,000 monthly reach) – sponsored by Camelot
Winner: Jersey Evening Post
Highly commended: The Argus (Brighton)

Daily Newspaper of the Year (above 400,000 monthly reach) – sponsored by Camelot
Winner: Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: The Courier(Scotland)
Highly commended: Belfast Telegraph

Sunday Newspaper of the Year – sponsored by Camelot
Winner: The Herald on Sunday (Scotland)
Highly commended: Sunday Life (Northern Ireland)

Free Weekly Newspaper of the Year – sponsored by Camelot
Winner: Jewish News
Winner: Camden New Journal
Highly commended: Islington Tribune