Winners of Regional Press Awards 2019 revealed

The Yorkshire Post and Western Mail newspapers were among the top winners at the Regional Press Awards for 2019.

As well as the accolade for daily newspaper of the year (above 400,000 monthly reach), The Yorkshire Post also collected the supplement of the year award for its TdY Magazine.

Reporter Greg Wright was named business and finance journalist of the year while Simon Hulme won the daily photographer of the year award.

The Western Mail was also crowned daily newspaper of the year (below 400,000 monthly reach), with journalist Carolyn Hitt winning the columnist of the year award for a daily paper (alongside Allison Morris of The Irish News) and Amanda Powell being dubbed feature writer/long form journalist of the year.

They were among the winners across some 38 award categories announced by the Society of Editors on Friday.

Nearly 700 entries were received covering all aspects of local journalism, including sports, data, social media, campaigns and photography.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, a planned awards gala was replaced by a live online YouTube video event on Friday afternoon.

With local journalism one of the industries put under strain by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Society of Editors has been celebrating the important work of the regional press through its #LoveLocalMedia campaign.

Supporters are encouraged to share the hashtag on social media.

Other winners from the 2019 awards include the Bucks Free Press collecting the paid for weekly/Sunday newspaper of the year title (above 50,000 monthly reach) and the Farnham Herald winning the same award for a paper below 50,000 monthly reach.

The free weekly newspaper of the year award went to the Islington Tribune while HullLive scooped the website of the year gong.

The Birmingham Mail was chosen as joint winner for the daily newspaper campaign of the year category for its focus on the Birmingham pub bombings.

The judges also gave top marks to the Power up the North campaign run jointly by titles from publishers Newsquest, Reach and JPIMedia.

ChronicleLive was honoured as social media team of the year and Daniel Russell of the Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live received the social media journalist of the year award.

Harriet Clugston, of RADAR AI (a news service using artificial intelligence to help create stories which forms part of the PA news agency), and Aimee Stanton, of JPI Media, were both named as data journalist of the year.

Joseph Hook, editor of RADAR AI, said: “Harriet’s consistent, high-quality public interest journalism has seen her land impactful data-driven stories in papers across the country over the last year. Many were on essential subjects that would not have come to light without her investigation.”

Judges handed the Cambridge News the daily paper front page of the year award for its “They tried to make the world a better place” splash honouring two young victims of the London Bridge terror attack, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones.

The Herald on Sunday scooped the weekly paper front page of the year award for its “Choose something” issue, calling on MPs to be decisive on Brexit.

In a video message, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden paid tribute to the regional press and the “unique role” it plays in “holding local politicians to account and in building a sense of community”.

Mr Dowden said he found questions asked by local journalists at the regular coronavirus government briefings among the trickiest to deal with as they came from reporters close to their communities.

The full list of award winners were:

– JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD WINNER
Winner: Dan Carrier, Camden New Journal

– YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
Winner: Jessie Mathewson, East London Guardian
Winner: Jack Dyson, Kentish Gazette
Highly commended: Marcus Hughes, WalesOnline

– SPECIALIST WRITER/IMPACT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life

– FEATURE WRITER/LONG FORM JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Amanda Powell, the Western Mail
Highly commended: Joe Thomas, Liverpool Echo

– BUSINESS & FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Greg Wright, The Yorkshire Post
Highly commended: Robin Johnson, Derby Telegraph
Highly commended: Margaret Canning, Belfast Telegraph

– COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Winner: Carolyn Hitt, the Western Mail
Winner: Allison Morris, The Irish News
Highly commended: Catriona Stewart, The Herald

– COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY PAPER
Winner: Peter Grant, Wirral Globe
Highly commended: Mike Kelly, Sunday Sun

– SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Winner: Neil Allen, The News, Portsmouth
Highly commended: Paul Abbandonato, WalesOnline

– SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY/ SUNDAY PAPER
Winner: Paul Ferguson, Sunday Life
Highly commended: Mark Taylor, Cambridge Independent

– DATA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Harriet Clugston, RADAR AI
Winner: Aimee Stanton, JPI Media
Highly commended: Annie Gouk, Reach Data Unit

– SOCIAL MEDIA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Daniel Russell, The Nottingham Post and Nottinghamshire Live
Highly commended: Will Hayward, WalesOnline

– DIGITAL LIVE NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kristian Johnson, LeedsLive
Highly commended: Neil Docking, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: Cathy Owen, Media Wales

– DIGITAL LIVE SPORTS REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Gareth Hanna, Belfast Telegraph
Highly commended: Beren Cross, LeedsLive

– REPORTING COMMUNITIES AWARD
Winner: Rakeem Omar Hyatt, BirminghamLive
Winner: Kathryn Williams, WalesOnline
Highly commended: Will Hayward, WalesOnline

– THE CATHRYN NICOLL AWARD – IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NMA
Winner: Joseph Locker, The Nottingham Post & Nottinghamshire Live

– WEEKLY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY LUTHER PENDRAGON
Winner: Rodney Edwards, The Impartial Reporter
Highly commended: Charles Thomson, Yellow Advertiser

– DAILY REPORTER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY LUTHER PENDRAGON
Winner: Martyn McLaughlin, The Scotsman
Highly commended: Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: Kelly Williams, Daily Post

– WEEKLY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY PA MEDIA
Winner: Stuart Walker, The Cumberland News
Highly commended: Mark Williamson, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald

– DAILY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY PA MEDIA
Winner: Simon Hulme, The Yorkshire Post
Highly commended: James Hardisty, The Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post

– DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – NEWSPAPER
Winner: Debbie Rodman, Bury Free Press
Highly commended: Simon Hill, Express & Star

– DESIGNER OF THE YEAR – MAGAZINES/SUPPLEMENT
Winner: David Lewins, Bristol Post: Weekend Magazine
Highly commended: Clarke Cooper, The Press and Journal

– SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: TdY Magazine, The Yorkshire Post
Highly commended: Back Where We Belong, Express & Star

– MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
Winner: ecoJersey, Jersey Evening Post
Highly commended: Life, Jewish News

– FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER, SPONSORED BY HOLDTHEFRONTPAGE
Winner: They tried to make the world a better place, Cambridge News
Highly commended: La Tragedie de Notre Dame, The Scotsman

– FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY PAPER, SPONSORED BY HOLDTHEFRONTPAGE
Winner: “Choose something”, The Herald on Sunday
Highly commended: Shameless/ Killed for the Cameras, Sunday Life

– SCOOP OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY CISION
Winner: Senior teacher bombarded pupil, 15 with flirty messages, Daily Post
Highly commended: Evil Eyes, Sunday Life

– CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – DAILY PAPER
Winner: Power up the North campaign, across Reach Plc, JPI Media & Newsquest titles
Winner: Birmingham pub bombing inquest campaign, Birmingham Mail

– CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR – WEEKLY/SUNDAY PAPER
Winner: Save Kentish Town City Farm, Camden New Journal
Winner: Paedophile police informant campaign, Yellow Advertiser
Highly commended: Save Reading Gaol, Reading Chronicle

– WEBSITE OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY GOOGLE NEWS INITIATIVE
Winner: HullLive, Hull Daily Mail
Highly commended: Irishnews.com, The Irish News
Highly commended: manchestereveningnews.co.uk, Manchester Evening News

– SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY FACEBOOK JOURNALISM PROJECT
Winner: ChronicleLive
Highly commended: WalesOnline

– DIGITAL INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY FACEBOOK JOURNALISM PROJECT
Winner: Brexit Voices from Northern Ireland, Belfast Telegraph
Highly commended: Shaped by a River: Tales of the Tay, The Courier

– THE OVERALL DIGITAL AWARD – SPONSORED BY FACEBOOK JOURNALISM PROJECT
Winner: liverpoolecho.co.uk, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended: KentOnline, IM News

– INNOVATION & INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY FACEBOOK JOURNALISM PROJECT
Winner: Statement, The Irish News
Highly commended: Radar AI | Local News Wire, RADAR AI

– FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY CAMELOT
Winner: Islington Tribune
Highly commended: Slough & Windsor Express

– PAID FOR WEEKLY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ABOVE 50,000 MONTHLY REACH – SPONSORED BY CAMELOT
Winner: Bucks Free Press
Highly commended: Newbury Weekly News

– PAID FOR WEEKLY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR BELOW 50,000 MONTHLY REACH – SPONSORED BY CAMELOT
Winner: Farnham Herald
Highly commended: The Impartial Reporter

– DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR ABOVE 400,000 MONTHLY REACH – SPONSORED BY CAMELOT
Winner: The Yorkshire Post
Highly commended: Express & Star

– DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR BELOW 400,000 MONTHLY REACH – SPONSORED BY CAMELOT
Winner: Western Mail
Highly commended: Yorkshire Evening Post