Big winners were The Cumberland News and Kent Messenger and in the daily and Sunday newspaper sections The Press, York and The Courier, Dundee won the top prizes.
A special chairman’s award went to the Liverpool Echo for its 27-year Fight for the Truth in its Hillsborough campaigning.
In the below 20,000 circulation weekly category, the judges said The Cumberland News deserved its award as a great old school weekly with an assured sense of identity with its community. The Kent Messenger was “adventurous and fearless”. The Press, York, winner of the below 20,000 section for dailies and Sundays, provided “a perfect example of community reporting” in the wake of last year’s floods. In the above 20,000 category The Courier, Dundee won its award for “strong front page splashes and great overall coverage.”
The Liverpool Echo campaign reached a milestone last month with the second inquest verdicts. The award was presented to editor Alastair Machray and reporter Eleanor Barlow by chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks and Trevor Hicks, President of the Hillsborough Family Support Group.
Horrocks said the award was in recognition of a paper that never wavered and never tired. “It casts aside the idea that regional newspapers do not invest in their communities,” he said.
“Years of unswerving reporting and campaigning led by no less than four editors have championed an injustice and held the hands of the friends and families of 96 innocent people who died needlessly and shamefully.”
The Birmingham Mail’s Jeanette Oldham picked up two awards for Specialist Writer of the Year and the Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year at the event held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London and hosted by LBC radio presenter Nick Ferrari.
The judges said Oldham produced outstanding reports into areas the media are often nervous to explore.
They added: “With sensitive investigations, complemented by powerful human interest, she shone a light into the dark areas of sexual abuse, race and police corruption.”
Trinity Mirror’s Newcastle Chronicle was awarded the Scoop of the Year for reporter Sophie Doughty’s report into the assault on disabled pensioner Alan Barnes.
The judges said Doughty produced a hugely significant local story which was picked up nationally. “It was a crime story that generated a huge local response. The award was given as much for the follow up coverage of the amount of money raised as well as the original story of the attack on Alan.”
The Front Page of the Year award went to the Cornwall-based West Briton for its ‘Thanks Andy’ homage following the sudden death of PC Andy Hocking whose death triggered an unprecedented outpouring of grief from the community.
The Campaign of the Year title went to the Hereford Times for its ‘One in Eight’ appeal which came off the back of statistics that cited one in eight women in Herefordshire could expect to be affected by breast cancer at some point in their lives. The campaign raised £60,000 which funded an extra nurse for two years at a breast cancer support centre called The Haven.
Croydon Advertiser chief reporter Gareth Davies, nominated in the Weekly Reporter of the Year category for the fifth time, took home the prize for the third year in a row.
The judges said Davies submitted a powerful portfolio which combined dogged and diligent reporting, excellent interviews and smart use of police whistleblowing sources in difficult circumstances.
The judges awarded the Daily/Sunday Sports Journalist title to Carolyn Hitt of the Western Mail and Weekly Sports Journalist to Dave Evans of the Newham Recorder. The Weekly Photographer award went to Michael Gillen of The Falkirk Herald and Daily/Sunday Photographer to Kris Miller of The Courier in Dundee.
Other awards went to Sophie Prideaux of the Bristol Post, named as Young Journalist of the Year, Simon Bain of The Herald, Glasgow for Business and Finance Journalist, the Leicester Mercury’s Lee Marlow was named Feature Writer, the Brighton Argus’ Ericka Waller won Columnist of the Year and Kathryn Clarke-McLeod of the Western Morning News was awarded the Designer of the Year title.
The Sunday Post’s special supplement on Scotland’s 100 iconic moments was awarded the Supplement of the Year prize and the digital awards went to the Belfast Telegraph for Website of the Year and the Trinity Mirror Data Unit in recognition of digital innovation.
Former NLA Media Access’ Managing Director David Pugh was awarded the Journalists’ Charity award for services to the industry and the Making a Difference campaign award, part of local newspaper week, was awarded to The Courier, Dundee for Frank’s Law.
The Regional Press Awards are made possible by the lead sponsorship of UK Power Networks. They are supported by ASDA, JTI, Foot Anstey, Gorkana, United Utilities, BT and PCS. They are held in association with HoldtheFrontPage and the Press Association.
The Society of Editors, which has been supported by Camelot since 2001, organises the awards on behalf of the newspaper industry. Executive director Bob Satchwell said: “2015 was a vintage year for local and regional journalism.”
Chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks said: “Once again the regional and local industry has illustrated the vital service it provides to communities up and down the country.
“From huge public interest campaigns to hard hitting news, commentary and entertainment, the industry continues to silence its critics and shows why it is the best in the world.”
Regional Press Awards for 2015
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by HoldTheFrontPage
Winner: Sophie Prideaux, Bristol Post
Highly commended: Rob Golledge, Express & Star, Wolverhampton
BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Foot Anstey
Winner: Simon Bain, The Herald, Glasgow
Highly commended: Robin Johnson, Derby Telegraph
SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Highly commended: Martin George, Eastern Daily Press
FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Lee Marlow, Leicester Mercury
Highly commended: Zoe Chamberlain, Birmingham Mail
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Asda
Winner: Ericka Waller, The Argus, Brighton
Highly commended: Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail and Catriona Stewart, The Herald, Glasgow
WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Dave Evans, Newham Recorder
Highly commended: Jon Colman, The Cumberland News
DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail
Highly commended: James Pearce, Liverpool Echo and Suzanne Geldard, Lancashire Telegraph
WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by UK Power Networks
Winner: Gareth Davies, Croydon Advertiser
Highly commended: Ruby Kitchen, Harrogate Advertiser and William McLennan, Camden New Journal
DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by UK Power Networks
Winner: Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Highly commended: Sophie Doughty, The Chronicle, Newcastle
WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Michael Gillen, The Falkirk Herald
Highly commended: Mark Williamson, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald
DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kris Miller, The Courier, Dundee
Highly commended: Jon Lewis, Oxford Mail and Rob Lock, Lancashire Evening Post
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod, Western Morning News
Highly commended: Sian David, Bath Chronicle and David Lewins, Bristol Post
SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Scotland’s 100 Iconic Moments, Sunday Post
Highly commended: The Way We Were, The Sentinel
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by JTI
Winner: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk, Belfast Telegraph
Highly commended: www.chroniclelive.co.uk, The Chronicle, Newcastle and www.dailyecho.co.uk, Southern Daily Echo
THE DIGITAL AWARD
Sponsored by JTI
Winner: Trinity Mirror Data Unit, Trinity Mirror
Highly commended: Hillsborough Inquests, Liverpool Echo and Pink Un Interactive, Eastern Daily Press
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by United Utilities
Winner: Thanks Andy, West Briton
Highly commended: Decency 1 Hatred 0, The Chronicle, Newcastle
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Winner: Shameful, Sophie Doughty, The Chronicle, Newcastle
Highly commended: North Sea Gets £1bn vote of confidence, Rita Brown, The Press and Journal, Aberdeen
JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD
Sponsored by Gorkana
Winner: David Pugh, Former Managing Director, NLA Media Access
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD
Winner: 27 year Fight for the Truth, Hillsborough, Liverpool Echo
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Asda
Winner: One in Eight, Hereford Times
Highly commended: Kids in Crisis, Hull Daily Mail and Pay up Now, Camden New Journal
MAKING A DIFFERENCE PEOPLE’S CHOICE CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Winner: Frank’s Law, The Courier, Dundee
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
Winner: The Cumberland News
Highly commended: Essex Chronicle and The Scarborough News
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
Winner: Kent Messenger
Highly commended: Camden New Journal and The Westmorland Gazette
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
Winner: The Press, York
Highly commended: News & Star, Carlisle
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
Winner: The Courier, Dundee
Highly commended: Express & Star, Wolverhampton
