This year’s awards ceremony would have taken place in London on 5 June, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. However, the Society says it was determined that the awards should still go ahead.
SoE executive director, Ian Murray said, “The annual Regional Press Awards is THE occasion in the calendar when the regional and local press can shout about the excellence that runs through the industry. It is a great pity that the awards gala lunch had to be cancelled, but we were determined the hard work by so many talented journalists in the regional press should not go unrecognised.
“The judging process has taken a little longer this year due to the present circumstances, and we are extremely grateful to all of the judges who have given up their time to provide such valuable support along with our sponsors."
Categories this year include the Cathryn Nicoll Interviewer of the Year award in conjunction with the NMA. The award, which carries a £500 cash prize, is in memory of Cathryn Nicoll who held the position of news editor at the Croydon Advertiser during her career as a journalist.
Shortlist for Regional Press Awards 2019
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Ashlie Blakey, Manchester Evening News
Emilia Bona, Liverpool Echo
Emily Townsend, East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star
Jack Dyson, Kentish Gazette
Jessie Mathewson, East London Guardian
Lydia Chantler-Hicks, Kentish Gazette
Marcus Hughes, WalesOnline
SPECIALIST WRITER/IMPACT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Abbie Wightwick, WalesOnline
Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life
Helen McArdle, The Herald
Joe Thomas, Liverpool Echo
Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo
Seanin Graham, The Irish News
FEATURE WRITER/LONG FORM JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Amanda Powell, The Western Mail
Anna Lewis, WalesOnline
Barry Didcock, The Herald & The Herald On Sunday
Joe Thomas, Liverpool Echo
Rebecca Day, Manchester Evening News
Richard Heath, Jersey Evening Post
BUSINESS & FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Echo and Reach plc
Greg Wright, The Yorkshire Post
Margaret Canning, Belfast Telegraph
Paul Brackley, Cambridge Independent
Robin Johnson, Derby Telegraph
Tom Houghton, Liverpool Echo
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Allison Morris, The Irish News
Carolyn Hitt, The Western Mail
Catriona Stewart, The Herald
Helen Mead, Telegraph & Argus
Ian McConnell, The Herald
Neil Mackay, The Herald/The Herald on Sunday
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY PAPER
Mike Kelly, Sunday Sun
Mike Lockley, Birmingham Mail / Sunday Mercury
Peter Grant, Wirral Globe
Phil Wisdom, Cornish Guardian
SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Andy Watters, The Irish News
Carolyn Hitt, The Western Mail
Katie Sands, WalesOnline
Leigh Curtis, The Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live
Neil Allen, The News, Portsmouth
Paul Abbandonato, WalesOnline
SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY/ SUNDAY PAPER
Fraser Watson, Western Telegraph
Jon Colman, The Cumberland News
Liam Headd, Newbury Weekly News
Mark Taylor, Cambridge Independent
Paul Davis, Rotherham Advertiser
Paul Ferguson, Sunday Life
DATA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Aimee Stanton, JPIMedia
Annie Gouk, Reach Data Unit
Chris McCall, The Scotsman
Federica Bedendo, The Whitehaven News/ News & Star
Harriet Clugston, RADAR AI
Martyn McLaughlin, The Scotsman / Scotland on Sunday
SOCIAL MEDIA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Cahair O’Kane, The Irish News
Daniel Russell, The Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live
Kristian Johnson, LeedsLive
Lee Ryder, Newcastle Chronicle
Will Hayward, WalesOnline
Zoe Chamberlain, BirminghamLive
DIGITAL LIVE NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Cathy Owen, Media Wales
Emilia Bona, Liverpool Echo
Jilly Beattie, BelfastLive
Joe Thomas, Liverpool Echo
Kristian Johnson, LeedsLive
Neil Docking, Liverpool Echo
Samantha Yarwood, Manchester Evening News
DIGITAL LIVE SPORTS REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Alex James, LancsLive
Andrew Musgrove, ChronicleLive
Beren Cross, LeedsLive
Gareth Hanna, Belfast Telegraph
REPORTING COMMUNITIES AWARD
Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times
Catriona Stewart, Herald & Times Group
Kathryn Williams, WalesOnline
Liverpool Echo Facebook Community Reporters (Jess Molyneux & Lisa Rand), Liverpool Echo
Liz Perkins, South Wales Evening Post/WalesOnline
Rakeem Omar Hyatt, BirminghamLive
Will Hayward, WalesOnline
THE CATHRYN NICOLL AWARD
Andra Maciuca, Saffron Walden Reporter
Joseph Locker, The Nottingham Post & Nottinghamshire Live
Mark Donnelly, Sunderland Echo
WEEKLY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Charles Thomson, Yellow Advertiser
Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life
John Toner, Sunday Life
John Elworthy, Cambs Times/ Ely Standard
Les Reid, Coventry Observer
Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury
Rodney Edwards, The Impartial Reporter
DAILY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Amy Fenton, The Mail, Cumbria
Connor Lynch, Grimsby Telegraph
Joe Thomas, Liverpool Echo
Kelly Williams, Daily Post
Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo
Martyn McLaughlin, The Scotsman
Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph
WEEKLY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Colm O’Reilly, Sunday Life
Dave Kneale, Isle of Man Examiner
Ian Longthorne, Maidenhead Advertiser
Mark Williamson, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald
Michael Gillen, The Falkirk Herald
Stuart Walker, The Cumberland News
DAILY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Bruce Rollinson, The Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post
Denise Bradley, Eastern Daily Press & Norwich Evening News
Ian Cooper, North Wales Daily Post
James Hardisty, The Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post
Simon Hulme, The Yorkshire Post
Stuart Walker, News & Star
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – NEWSPAPER
Debbie Rodman, Bury Free Press
Ian Bond, Hull Daily Mail
Keith Williams, Derby Telegraph
Kelly Leung, Reach Data Unit
Marianna Longo, Reach Data Unit
Simon Hill, Express & Star
Tom Evans, Liverpool Echo
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – MAGAZINE/SUPPLEMENT
Clarke Cooper, The Press and Journal
Daniel Beavan, Reach Plc
David Lewins, Bristol Post: Weekend Magazine
Kevin Farrell, The Irish News
Lisa Walsh, Western Mail
Nancy Fallows, Eastern Daily Press & Norwich Evening News
SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
Back Where We Belong, Express & Star
TdY Magazine, The Yorkshire Post
The Story of the Maidenhead Advertiser
Weekend, Express & Star / Shropshire Star
Weekend, Belfast Telegraph
Your Life, The Press and Journal
MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
Devon Life
Dorset Living magazine
ecoJersey, Jersey Evening Post
Life, Jewish News
Shropshire Magazine, Express & Star / Shropshire Star
Velvet, Bury Free Press
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Child of the ceasefires…. killed by a dissident bullet, Belfast Telegraph
Crisis, The Courier
Don’t be fooled by fake news, Yorkshire Evening Post
La Tragedie de Notre Dame, The Scotsman
Six Stone – and ruled fit for work, Liverpool Echo
They tried to make the world a better place, Cambridge News
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY/SUNDAY PAPER
‘Choose something’, The Herald on Sunday
Evil Eyes, Sunday Life
For the love of Lucas, East Kent Mercury
My childminder sold me for sex, Impartial Reporter
Shameless/ Killed for the Cameras, Sunday Life
The Lost Boys, MEN on Sunday
To everyone you are a hero, Reading Chronicle
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Brave daughter saved my life in knife attack, Derby Telegraph
Evil Eyes, Sunday Life
LGBT equality protests at Birmingham schools, BirminghamLive
Senior teacher bombarded pupil, 15 with flirty messages, Daily Post
Stephen Smith – The Six Stone Man, Liverpool Echo
Why police commissioner quit, Cambs Times / Ely Standard
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Birmingham Pub Bombing Inquest Campaign, Birmingham Mail
Oscar Saxelby-Lee appeal, Worcester News
Power up the North, Manchester Evening News
Power up the North, The Yorkshire Post
Speak Up, Hull Daily Mail
Time to Talk, The Mail, Barrow
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY/SUNDAY PAPER
Save Kentish Town City Farm, Camden New Journal
Paedophile Police Informant campaign, Yellow Advertiser
Save Reading Gaol, The Reading Chronicle
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
Belfast Telegraph
ChronicleLive, Newcastle Chronicle
HullLive, Hull Daily Mail
Irishnews.com, The Irish News
manchestereveningnews.co.uk, Manchester Evening News
plymouthherald.co.uk, PlymouthLive
SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM OF THE YEAR
BirminghamLive
ChronicleLive
NottinghamshireLive
Manchester Evening News
WalesOnline
Warrington Guardian
DIGITAL INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
Brexit Voices from Northern Ireland, Belfast Telegraph
Instagram, Manchester Evening News
Opening Eyes on Homelessness, BelfastLive
Peterloo – 200 years on, Manchester Evening News
Rugby World Cup, WalesOnline
Shaped by a River: Tales of the Tay, The Courier
WalesOnline TikTok project
THE OVERALL DIGITAL AWARD
ChronicleLive, Newcastle Chronicle
EDP24, Eastern Daily Press & Norwich Evening News
KentOnline, IM News
liverpoolecho.co.uk
Reach Data Unit
WalesOnline
INNOVATION AND INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
21421, The Jewish News
BusinessLive, Reach Plc
Community Content Network, The Mail, Barrow
Norwich City Sticker Album, Eastern Daily Press
Radar AI | Local News Wire, RADAR AI
Statement, The Irish News
FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
Camden New Journal
Chronicle Week
Islington Tribune
Jewish News
Slough and Windsor Express
St Helens Star
PAID FOR WEEKLY / SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR (ABOVE 50,000 MONTHLY REACH)
Basingstoke Gazette
Bucks Free Press
Kent Messenger
Maidenhead Advertiser
MEN on Sunday
Newbury Weekly News
The Reading Chronicle
Warrington Guardian
PAID FOR WEEKLY / SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR (BELOW 50,000 MONTHLY REACH)
Beccles & Bungay Journal
Bury Free Press
Cambridge Independent
Farnham Herald
Newry Reporter
Sunday Mercury
The Herald on Sunday
The Impartial Reporter
DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR (ABOVE 400,000 MONTHLY REACH)
Express & Star
Hull Daily Mail
Manchester Evening News
The Cambridge News
The Courier
The Herald
The Irish News
The Yorkshire Post
DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR (BELOW 400,000 MONTHLY REACH)
Basildon Echo
Birmingham Mail
Evening Telegraph
Jersey Evening Post
South Wales Evening Post
The Mail, Barrow
Western Mail
Yorkshire Evening Post
