Portsmouth’s The News was the big winner at the National Union of Journalists Regional Press Awards yesterday as it collected four prizes, including the coveted newspaper of the year accolade.
Judges praised The News as a “great all round package” as the Johnston Press title beat off competition from six other shorlisted daily and weekly papers.
The News was the only paper to collect more than a single prize at the awards ceremony as two reporters and a designer working on the daily paper picked up honours.
Neil Allen was named daily or Sunday paper sports journalist of the year while fellow reporter Sion Donovan was named multimedia journalist of the year.
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The regional newspaper designer of the year prize was presented to The News’ Graeme Windell.
The prize for reporter of the year of on a daily or Sunday paper went to Allison Morris of the Irish News. Eleanor Harding, from the Wandsworth Guardian, was named weekly newspaper reporter of the year.
The winners across all 20 categories were unveiled at the awards event at Dingwalls, in London, yesterday afternoon.
The Regional Press Awards have historically been organised by Press Gazette, but the event was retained by publisher Wilmington when it sold Press Gazette in April 2009.
The NUJ stepped in as organiser earlier this year when Wilmington said it had suspended the awards because of lack of support from the industry.
Hundreds of entries were submitted for the NUJ event, which was free to enter and open to non members of the union.
Full list of winners:
Campaign of the Year
Winner: Kathryn Torney, Belfast Telegraph
Student Journalist of the Year
Winner: Rosie Taylor, Forge Press
Designer of the Year
Winner: Graeme Windell, The News, Portsmouth
Feature Writer of the Year Weekly
Winner: Roger Lytollis, Cumberland News
Feature Writer of the Year Daily/Sunday
Winner: Jayne Dawson of Yorkshire Evening Post
Multimedia Journalist of the Year
Winner: Sion Donovan, The News, Portsmouth
Multimedia Publisher of the Year
Winner: Stuart Kirkpatrick – Caledonian Mercury
Sports Photographer of the Year Weekly
Winner: Stephen Garnett, Craven Herald
Sports Photographer of the Year Daily/Sunday
Winner: Lucy Ray, Bradford and Telegraph Argus
Photographer of the Year Weekly
Winner: Chris Whiteoak, Surrey Advertiser
Photographer of the Year Daily/Sunday
Winner: Stuart Boulton, Northern Echo
Sports Journalist of the Year Weekly
Winner: Eric Mackinnon, West Lothian Courier
Sports Journalist of the Year Daily/Sunday
Winner: Neil Allen, The News, Portsmouth
Columnist of the Year
Winner: Stacia Briggs, Norwich Evening News
Specialist Writer of the Year
Winner: Carl Eve, The Plymouth Herald
The Felix Dearden Reporting on Race Award
Winner: Mary Griffin, Coventry Telegraph
Scoop of the Year
Winner: Cherry Wilson, Rotherham Advertiser & Croydon Advertiser
Reporter of the Year Weekly
Winner: Eleanor Harding, Wandsworth Guardian
Reporter of the Year Daily/Sunday
Winner: Allison Morris, Irish News
Newspaper of the Year
The News, Portsmouth
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