Regional Press Awards shortlist unveiled

The Society of Editors has published the shortlist for its annual Regional Press awards, covering a total of 23 categories.

Categories include a digital award, the shortlist for which includes the Belfast Telegraph, Liverpool Post and Echo, Manchester Evening News, Norwich Evening News and the Lancashire Evening Post.

As well as prizes for individual journalists, designers and photographers the awards will announce a winning weekly and daily newspaper of the year, with separate categories for those with circulations above and below specified figures.

In the category of weekly newspapers under 20,000 the shortlisted entries include the Northern Scot, Ulster Herald, Brentwood Gazette, Birmingham Post and the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald.

Those with circulations higher than 20,000 that made the shortlist include the Essex Chronicle, Newbury Weekly News, Camden New Journal, Westmorland Gazette and the Surrey Advertiser.

This year the awards also introduced a new editor of the year category which will recognise "the editor of a daily or weekly regional newspaper who has demonstrated either personal journalistic achievement in the public interest, a personally fronted campaign, an individual battle with authority or simply a great idea".

Winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony in London on 25 May.

The full shortlist is below:

Young Journalist of the Year
Ashleigh Barbour – Aberdeen Press and Journal
Dominic Howell – Nottingham Post
Alice Hutton – Cambridge News
Emily Koch – Bristol Evening Post
Ruth Lawson – NCJ Media

Business & Finance Journalist of the Year
Simon Bain – The Herald, Glasgow
Jenny Chapman – Cambridge News
Jon Griffin – Birmingham Mail
Robin Johnson – Derby Telegraph
Catherine Lea – Hull Daily Mail

Specialist Writer of the Year
Jon Austin – Basildon Echo
Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life
Paul Gallagher – Manchester Evening News
Seanin Graham – Irish News
Nicky Harley – Hull Daily Mail

Feature Writer of the Year
Lucy Adams – The Herald, Glasgow
Janet King – Western Morning News
Lee Marlow – Leicester Mercury
John McGurk – Sunday Life
Adam Wakelin – Leicester Mercury

Columnist of the Year
Aled Blake - Western Mail
Carolyn Hitt - Western Mail
Ian Midgley - Hull Daily Mail
Elaine Morgan - Western Mail
Paul Taylor - Manchester Evening News

Weekly Sports Journalist of the Year
Matthew Elder – Fife Free Press
Danny Hall – Sheffield Star, Grass Roots
Mark Jenkin – North Devon Journal
Amanda Little – Cumberland News
David Powell – North Devon Journal

Daily/Sunday Sports Journalist of the Year
Steven Beacom – Belfast Telegraph
Jon Colman – Carlisle News & Star
Mark Douglas – Sunday Sun
John Gibson – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Simon Walter – Southern Daily Echo

Weekly Photographer of the Year
Stephen Garnett – Craven Herald
Michael Gillen – Falkirk Herald
Sean Hansford – Rochdale Observer
John Jenkins – Lincolnshire Echo
Joe Lord – East London Advertiser

Daily/Sunday Photographer of the Year
Anthony Chappel-Ross – The Press, York
Rowland Hobson – Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Simon Hulme – Yorkshire Post
Gary Longbottom – Yorkshire Post
Ian Robinson – Lancashire Evening Post

Weekly Reporter of the Year
Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser
Stuart Greer – Oldham Advertiser
Tom Jennings – Witney Gazette
Lui Straccia – Luton on Sunday
Louise Wallace – Lincolnshire Echo

Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year
Bimpe Archer – Irish News
Jon Austin – Basildon Echo
Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life
John McGurk – Sunday Life
Ben Rossington – Liverpool Echo

Designer of the Year Award
Gary Beckwith – Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Ian Bond – Hull Daily Mail
Sean Collins – The Journal, Newcastle
David Lewins – Bristol Evening Post
Doug Young – Newcastle Evening Chronicle

The Digital Award
Belfasttelegraph.co.uk – Belfast Telegraph
Liverpool Post and Echo
Manchester Evening News
Pinkun.com – Norwich Evening News
The 12 Plays of Christmas – Lancashire Evening Post

Supplement of the Year
Yorkshire Post Magazine
Weekend - Belfast Telegraph
Culture - The Journal, Newcastle
NE Business Magazine - The Journal, Newcastle
Western Mail Magazine

Special Supplement of the Year
The Blitz - Hull Daily Mail
Welsh Warriors - Wales on Sunday
Skelmersdale celebrates 50 years - Skelmersdale Advertiser
Most Influential - The Journal, Newcastle
Liverpool Playhouse - Liverpool Daily Post

Front Page of the Year
Carried on a Sea of Unity – Belfast Telegraph
Help Bring These Rioters to Justice – Croydon Advertiser
The Night Fire Took Lives of My four Babies – Derby Telegraph
Wanted – Lancashire Evening Post
Is This How You Feel? - Western Mail

Scoop of the Year
Bimpe Archer – Irish News
Jon Austin - Basildon Echo
Nicky Harley – Hull Daily Mail
Neil Macfarlane – Evening Gazette, Middlesborough
Rob Waugh & John Roberts – Yorkshire Post

Campaign of the Year
Lillian’s Law – Croydon Advertiser
An Industry Betrayed – Derby Telegraph
Missing from Home – Manchester Evening News
Fighting Censorship by Killers – Sunday Life
Whistleblower – Wirral Globe

Weekly Newspaper (below 20K)
The Northern Scot
The Ulster Herald
Brentwood Gazette
Birmingham Post
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald

Weekly Newspaper (above 20K)
Essex Chronicle
Newbury Weekly News
Camden New Journal
Westmorland Gazette
Surrey Advertiser

Daily/Sunday (below 25K)
Cambridge News
Lancashire Evening Post
The Journal, Newcastle
Ipswich Evening Star
Carlisle News and Star

Daily/Sunday (above 25K)
Sunday Life
Manchester Evening News
Belfast Telegraph
Sunday Mercury
Yorkshire Post

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