Mark Hughes of University of Central Lancashire has been named Student Journalist of the Year at the Press Gazette Student Journalism Awards.
Hughes was a triple award winner – receiving the prize for news writer of the year and scoop of the year for his exclusive story about a former nurse who was jailed for abducting a 15-year-old girl and planned to marry her after his release from prison.
Hughes’ submissions were taken from the News and Star in Carlisle where he originally worked part-time and now as a full-time reporter since finishing his degree.
Last year’s overall winner, Felicity Hay, who missed the awards last year because she was in Australia, has also moved into local newspaper reporting.
Attending this year’s ceremony at Reuters’ Canary Wharf headquarters, she said that her job as reporter at Bury Free Press had been a strong learning curve.
‘It’s been a real learning experience – there’s nothing quite like splashing on a story and everyone who advised me said I should start at local level.”
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