A county journalism award scheme now in its 10th year has opened for entries.

The Kent Press & Broadcast Awards will be handed out a ceremony on Friday 5th July – followed by a party to make the event’s 10th anniversary.

There are 16 categories up for grabs including a new award designed to recognise those in behind the scenes roles such as sub-editors, producers, news editors and camera operators.

The free-to-enter awards are open to anyone working in the Kent media, with every finalised invited to attend the ceremony at the Spitfire Ground, Canterbury – also free of charge.

The not-for-profit scheme is organised by Tunbridge Wells-based PR, marketing and public affairs agency Maxim.

Rachel Knight, director at Maxim, said: “We’re very proud to have been helping to celebrate local journalism for a decade now. Before we launched this year’s awards, we carried out a survey with potential entrants and were pleased to hear 93% of respondents are happy with the entry process.

“The media landscape has changed dramatically over the last 10 years so we also asked which categories were still relevant. After consulting the judges, we’ve made some changes and this year there are 16 categories, several of which are new.

“They include the ‘Kent Making it Happen Award’, which is for those working hard behind the scenes to make the news happen, such as sub-editors, producers, news editors and camera operators. We haven’t been able to recognise all of these roles before but they are a vital part of the newsroom.”

The judging panel includes several former regional editors from the county including Rebecca Smith and Leo Whitlock.

The deadline for entries is 5pm on Friday, 19 April 2024 with the finalists announced in June.

The full list of categories for 2024 is:

Broadcast Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Le Shuttle
Broadcast Presenter of the Year, sponsored by CPL Films
Design(er) of the Year
Feature Journalist of the Year (Broadcast), sponsored by Shepherd Neame
Feature Journalist of the Year (Print)
Investigation of the Year
Magazine of the Year, sponsored by Stagecoach South East
Making it Happen Award
New Journalist of the Year, sponsored by East Kent Colleges Group
News Website of the Year, sponsored by Port of Dover
Newspaper of the Year
Print & Online Journalist of the Year
Programme of the Year
Story of the Year
The Neil Bell Kent Sports Journalist of the Year, supported by Kent Cricket
Kent Voices Award, sponsored by BAE Systems

To find out more and download an entry form, visit www.kpbawards.co.uk.