Evening Standard editor George Osborne to deliver Hugh Cudlipp Lecture in 2019

Evening Standard editor George Osborne will deliver the next annual Hugh Cudlipp Lecture, which marks its 20th anniversary next year.

The lecture will take place at Regent’s University, Regent’s Park, London, on 7 March 2019 from 6,30pm and is free to attend. Visit londonpressclub.co.uk to register.

The winner of the £1,000 Hugh Cudlipp Award for Student Journalism will also be announced on the night. Entries are open until 15 February 2019 (see below for details on how to enter).

Trustees of the lecture said they invited Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, because “it would be insightful and timely to hear from someone who had served at the highest level in government but had crossed the political divide into journalism and was now charged with holding power to account”.

Osborne began editing the Standard in May last year after he was named successor to Sarah Sands. He stepped down as an MP shortly before taking up the role ahead of the last general election.

Osborne was interviewed by Andrew Marr in September last year (pictured top), saying that if he had continued to be an MP while editing the Standard it would have left him “a bit compromised”.

The Cudlipp Lecture was created in 1999 in memory of the former Daily Mirror editor and giant of Fleet Street. It is run by the London Press Club, with support from the Mirror and Cision.

Last year’s lecturer was former BBC director general and Times editor James Harding. Previous lecturers include Sir Harold Evans, Jon Snow, Lionel Barber, Piers Morgan and Alan Rusbridger.

The Hugh Cudlipp Student Award is given to a student who has made an outstanding contribution to journalism for an article, series of articles or video exploring an issue of public interest.

Entries must have been published in print or on an online news website between January 2018-19 in a national, regional or local newspaper (paid-for or free) or a supplement which is not part of assessed coursework.

One entry is allowed per person. Entrants should submit PDFs of work in print or a link to an online version (best for videos). The source and date of publication must be shown, or added if unclear.

To be eligible to apply, students must have graduated from, or been enrolled at, a UK university or college during 2018. They need not be studying media or journalism-related subjects.

Send entries to paulrcharman@gmail.com along with the following details: name, age, home address, email address, telephone number and proof of college/university attendance.