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Shortlists announced for Regional Press Awards

Shortlists for the Society of Editors’ regional press awards celebrating the best of British regional newspaper journalism in 2011 have been announced.

There are 23 categories in the awards which will culminate with an Oscars-style lunchtime awards ceremony to be held at the Savoy Place, just off the Embankment, IET London, 2 Savoy Place, London, WC2R OBL on 25 May.

A new category for ‘Editor of the Year’ was added to the lineup. The award recognises 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. There is no shortlist for this award.

The awards have been made possible by the lead sponsorship of UK Power Networks. The other sponsors are Asda, media lawyers Foot Anstey, HoldTheFrontPage, the Press Association and Silverstream TV.

The Society of Editors, which has been supported by Camelot since 2001, organises the awards in conjunction with the Newspaper Society on behalf of the industry.

For tickets or tables for the event please contact Kate McMillan at kate.mcmillan@societyofeditors.org or on 07736 070066. Tickets for industry members are £65 and £75 for those outside the industry.

Chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks said: “Panels of independent judges have pored over more than 700 entries to produce the shortlists. The entries demonstrated the amazing quality of journalistic effort that is still being produced in these challenging times for the whole of the media and regional and local papers in particular.”

The awards ceremony, hosted by broadcaster Nick Ferrari, will start at 12noon and will be followed by lunch. The Editor of the Year and Newspaper of the Year awards will be presented at the end of the lunch.

Society of Editors executive director Bob Satchwell (pictured) said: “We are again pleased to help celebrate the brilliant journalism in local and regional newspapers which provides a terrific service to communities across the UK against a difficult economic background.”

The Regional Press Awards 2011 - Full Shortlist:

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