A new set of awards designed to honour those who champion the public’s right to know is to open for entries next week.

As previously reported on HTFP, the Society of Editors is launching the Media Freedom Awards which will focus on press freedom and campaigning journalism.

The awards will recognise UK individuals, teams and media organisations who have demonstrated determination, resilience and resolve in championing the public’s right to know and holding power to account.

Entries will be open to all UK-based news media organisations and platforms and can be made for work published in print, website, online, mobile, video, audio or any other news delivery format.

The inaugural awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 9 November 2022 at The Underglobe in London and will cover both regional and national journalism.

The SoE took the decision to launch the new set of awards following the expiry of the ten-year agreement under which it organised the national and regional Press Awards on behalf of the News Media Association.

Asked by HTFP for clarification on their future plans for the Regional Press Awards, a News Media Association spokesman said this would be announced “in due course.”

At the time, SoE executive director Dawn Alford said: “The Media Freedom Awards will recognise the individuals and organisations that are championing media freedom at a time when accurate, timely and verifiable news and information has never been more vital.

“The public must only look to the coverage of the crisis in Ukraine to see the necessity of an open, free, and independent media that is able to hold power to account without fear or favour.”

Details of how to enter the awards and the full list of categories will published next week.