The International Building Press awards celebrated their 30th anniversary last week and chief executive officer Gerald Bowey reminisced about the good old days: “When the IBP awards began, there was just a few of us sat in the pub over a pint and a bowl of peanuts.”
This year, 280 people sat down to dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane in London. However, Bowey insisted that the annual event would not become overcrowded. “I turned away 200 people for this event because I wanted people to meet each other and form contacts. The best stories are gained through contacts and if you look around this room now, you see rival magazines mingling and enjoying their time.”
Property Week editor Giles Barrie was the star of the show, picking up three awards on the night for Business/Financial Journalist of the Year, Commercial Property Writer of the Year and, most notably, the overall award of IBP Journalist of the Year.
Barrie said: “I am delighted to uphold Property Week’s long tradition of award-winning and investigative journalism. The magazine’s heritage is well and truly intact. I look forward to building on its rich past.”
Barrie, who only recently became editor, added: “Although I will miss being a reporter, I am pleased to leave the writing world for the editing world with a bang.”
The first person to win the IBP award and eight times winner David Hayward described the awards as the “Oscars of construction”. Hayward, who is now a journalism consultant, presented the Civil Engineering Journalist of the Year award to Alasdair Reisner of Construction News.
Bowey said he looked forward to IBP’s future. “We will be developing our website with a register allowing freelances to make contacts and sell themselves.
“Through intensive research we want to focus on poorly paid freelances, highlighting their problems and provoking strong discussion.”
Other successes on the night were Building magazine and Construction News magazine, winning two awards each. The full results were: Architectural Journalist of the Year: Robert Booth, editor, Building Design.
Building Journalist of the Year: Marcus Fairs, editor, Icon. Civil Engineering Journalist of the Year: Alasdair Reisner, Construction News. News Reporter of the Year: Mark Hansford, New Civil Engineer. Feature Writer of the Year: Tom Broughton, Building. Business/ Financial Journalist of the Year: Giles Barrie, editor, Property Week. Commercial Property Journalist of the Year: Giles Barrie. Housing Journalist of the Year: Katie Puckett, Housing Today.
Residential Property Writer of the Year: Mira Bar-Hillel, Evening Standard.
Young Journalist of the Year: Matthew Richards, Building. Magazine of the Year (weekly): Construction News.
Magazine of the Year (non-weekly): Architectural Review. IBP Journalist of the Year: Giles Barrie.
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