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May 15, 2015

Belfast’s Sunday Life and Birmingham Mail pick up four prizes each at Regional Press Awards

By William Turvill

Belfast's Sunday Life newspaper won four prizes at the Regional Press Awards today, including daily/Sunday newspaper of the year (above 25,000 circulation).

Meanwhile, Sunday Life's Patricia Devlin was named daily/Sunday reporter of the year and also won scoop of the year. The newspaper's fourth prize was in the 'make a difference campaign' category, where it won for a drive to abolish illegal puppy farming.

The other big winner today, in a ceremony disrupted by a fire at its central London venue, was the Birmingham Mail, which also claimed four awards.

The Mail was named website of the year and also won the digital award. Joe Griffin, meanwhile, was named business and finance journalist of the year and Jeanette Oldham was named specialist writer of the year.

The full list of winners, which can be seen here, is below:

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Winner: Gareth Davies – The Argus.  Highly commended: Isaac Crowson – Derby Telegraph and Ciaran Jones – Media Wales

BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Winner: Jon Griffin – Birmingham Mail. Highly commended: Bernard Ginns – The Yorkshire Post and Robin Johnson – Derby Telegraph

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SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR. Winner: Jeanette Oldham – Birmingham Mail. Highly commended: Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon

FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR. Winner: Lee Marlow – Leicester Mercury. Highly commended: Gemma Collins – Leicester Mercury and Chae Strathie – Sunday Post

COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR. Winner: Fred Leicester – Leicester Mercury. Highly commended: Emma Clayton – Bradford Telegraph & Argus

WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Winner: Chris Harby – Melton Times. Highly commended: Jon Colman – The Cumberland News

DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR. Winner: Jon Colman – News & Star, Carlisle Highly commended: Mark Guidi – Sunday Post and Suzanne Geldard – Lancashire Telegraph

WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR. Winner: Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser. Highly commended: Phil Coleman – The Cumberland News and Emma Hobley – Braintree and Witham Times

DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR.. Winner: Patricia Devlin – Sunday Life. Highly commended: Jon Austin – The Echo, Basildon

WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. Winner: Arwyn Parry-Jones – Cambrian News. Highly commended: Christopher Whiteoak – Aldershot News & Mail

DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. Winner: Paul Jacobs – The News, Portsmouth. Highly commended: Mike Sewell – Leicester Mercury

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR. Winner: Adam Walker – Media Wales. Highly commended: Sian David – Bath Chronicle and Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod –Western Morning News

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR. Winner: Great War 100 – Liverpool Echo. Highly commended: First World War – Dundee Courier and Advertiser

FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR. Winner: ‘Beyond Belief’ – Dundee Evening Telegraph. Highly commended: ‘End of a Dream’ –Edinburgh Evening News and ‘We Will Remember Them’ –Dorset Echo

SCOOP OF THE YEAR. Winner: Michaella: My Story, Patricia Devlin – Sunday Life. Highly commended: Beyond Belief, Darren Hamilton – Dundee Evening Telegraph

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR. Winner: Keep Our Streets Free – News & Star, Carlisle. Highly commended: Greengate Memorial – Manchester Evening News

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR. Winner: Birmingham Mail. Highly commended: www.edp24.co.uk

THE DIGITAL AWARD. Winner: Birmingham Mail. Highly commended: The Great North Run Million – Newcastle Evening Chronicle

JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD. Winner: Robin Burgess, Chief Executive, CN Group

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000). Winner: Macclesfield Express. Highly commended: Keighley News and Kent Messenger

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000). Winner: Essex Chronicle. Highly commended: The Cumberland News

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 25,000). Winner: The Journal, Newcastle. Highly commended: Sunday Echo

DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 25,000). Winner: Sunday Life. Highly commended: Aberdeen Press and Journal

MAKE A DIFFERENCE CAMPAIGN. Winner: Sunday Life’s Campaign to abolish illegal puppy farming

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