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