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Society of Editors takes over national press awards

By Dominic Ponsford

The British Press Awards has effectively been taken over by the Society of Editors which is planning to hold a scaled-down event at the Savoy hotel in London next year.

The new ‘Press Awards’will be held on 5 April, next year, with seating for around 400 at the dinner.

The British Press Awards, which had been run by Press Gazette for more than 20 years, was retained by Wilmington Media following its decision to sell Press Gazette in April 2009.

This year it was run by Wilmington, in association with Press Gazette and the Journalists’ Charity, with 10 per cent of the profits going to the Journalists’ Charity. More than 800 attended the event which, as in previous years, was held at the Grosvenor hotel.

The new event has come about following a decision made by the Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade body which represents national newspaper owners, which has asked the Society of Editors to run it.

Any surplus from the new event will now go towards supporting the work of the Society of Editors with a donation also going to the Journalists’ Charity.

Executive director of the Society Bob Satchwell, who is chairman of judges for the Press Awards, said his hope was that the new arrangement will exceed previous contributions to the Journalists’ Charity.

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There will be 25 categories of awards including the re-introduction of the front page of the year prize.

Newspaper of the year will be chosen on achievements during the year ‘across all platforms – print and online”, the Society said.

According to the Society of Editors, judging will be by ‘a panel drawn from national newspapers and independent experts’and will be completed online.

Full details of categories and the criteria for entry will be announced in November and the closing date for entries will be in January.

The Society of Editors has said it is talking to sponsors who have supported the awards in the past and that it is also looking for new partners.

At this year’s event, then Telegraph editor Will Lewis was named journalist of the year. The new event does not have a journalist of the year category, but it does have an award for lifetime achievement.

Satchwell said: ‘Since the NPA asked us to organise the awards for the industry we have consulted national newspapers and we are planning a more focused awards ceremony where winners and their editors and colleagues can celebrate in style among their peers.

‘It will be an exclusive ‘Fleet Street’ evening to reflect the unique quality and achievements of UK newspapers.”

Chris Boffey, chairman of the Journalists’ Charity, said: “It is great news that the awards are back in the hands of the industry and that the Journalists’ Charity and the Society of Editors will benefit.”

Award Categories

  • Young Journalist of the Year
  • Business and Finance Journalist of the Year
  • Political Journalist of the Year
  • Foreign Reporter of the Year
  • Show Business Reporter of the Year
  • Sports Journalist of the Year
  • Specialist Journalist of the Year
  • News reporter of the Year
  • Regular Supplement of the Year
  • Special Supplement of the Year
  • Digital Innovation of the Year
  • Photographer of the Year
  • Sports Photographer of the Year
  • Cartoonist of the Year
  • Feature Writer of the Year
  • Interviewer of the Year
  • Critic of the Year
  • Columnist of the Year
  • The Cudlipp Award
  • International Journalist of the Year
  • Journalists’ Charity Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Campaign of the Year
  • Front Page of the Year
  • Scoop of the Year
  • Newspaper of the Year

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