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October 27, 2023updated 08 Mar 2024 11:52am

British Journalism Awards shortlist 2023: Best public interest reporting of last year revealed

In full: British Journalism Awards shortlist 2023, with links to all the finalists' work.

By Charlotte Tobitt

Press Gazette is proud to announce the shortlist for the 2023 British Journalism Awards.

UPDATE: See the full list of British Journalism Awards winners 2023 here.

The event, now its 12th year, recognises great journalism that serves the public interest regardless of the platform it appears on.

The only stipulations are that it must be targeted at a mainly UK audience and must have been first published in the year preceding 1 September 2023.

This year there were more than 800 entries representing every major news publisher in the UK. Thanks to funding from Google, the awards were again free to enter for those in previously underrepresented groups who did not have an employer willing to fund their application.

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The 80 independent judges spent three weeks reading and viewing the work submitted and then arrived at the shortlists over three days of jury-style discussions.

They were asked to look for journalistic skill and rigour, revelation and work that has made a difference for the better in society.

Chairman of judges and Press Gazette editor-in-chief Dominic Ponsford said: “I’m deeply grateful to all the judges and those who have taken the time to enter these awards. As ever, the finalists provide an utterly compelling rebuttal to the armchair cynics on social media who deride the mainstream media at every opportunity.

“There are a smattering of star names on these lists whose work underlines why they command big salaries. But there are also many journalists recognised today who work incredibly hard for little pay often showing great courage to stand up against legal (and even physical) threats to provide a voice for those who would otherwise be ignored.

“As politicians look at better regulation of big tech and a fairer deal for news publishers, the British Journalism Awards finalists remind us what we risk losing if they get it wrong.”

Winners for the Public Service Journalism Award, Marie Colvin Award and Journalist of the Year will be announced on the night with no shortlist.

See the shortlist for News Provider of the Year here.

The British Journalism Awards winners will be announced at the Hilton Bankside, in London, on 14 December. Table bookings here.

The shortlist announcement is sponsored by YouTube.

British Journalism Awards 2023 shortlist in full:

Social Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion

Tom Besley, Henry Waterfall-Allen, Guy Davidson, Tobi Kyeremateng, Ben De Pear, Candice Hayden, Daniel Clarke, George Arnett, Andrea Danese MD, PhD, Debbie Ramsey and Leah Green – TOAD/Channel 4

Samantha Booth – Schools Week

Tessa Chapman, Katie Goodman, Christina Michaels, Devron Callender – 5 News

Karin Goodwin, Tomiwa Folorunso and Halina Rifai – The Ferret 

Tommy Jessop, Imogen Wynell-Mayow, Victoria Noble, Esella Hawkey, Tom Stone (Hardcash Productions) – BBC Panorama

Greg McKenzie, Anna Meisel, Carl Johnston, Patrick Kiteley and Craig Boardman – BBC Radio 4 

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, Vanessa Bowles, Bettina Waked, Jasmine Bonshor, Liza Hodgson, Maria Caramelo, Mohamed Salah, Tim Awford, Rosie Garthwaite and Mustafa Khalili – BBC News 

Maya Wolfe-Robinson, Joseph Harker, Jonathan Shainin, David Olusoga, Gary Younge, Lanre Bakare, Aamna Mohdin, Courtney Yusuf and others – The Guardian

Features Journalism   

Ian Birrell – Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday

Mick Brown – The Telegraph 

Dani Garavelli – London Review of Books/Sunday Post 

Rebecca Hardy – Daily Mail 

Simon Hattenstone – The Guardian 

William Ralston – The Guardian 

Rachel Sylvester – The Times 

Jason Watkins, Clara Francis, Matthew Tune, Andrea Byrne, Jonathan Hill and Alexandra Hartley – ITV1

Local Journalism   

Antoine Allen – ITV News

Justin Bowie, Andy Philip, Alasdair Clark, Marc Deanie, Graeme Strachan and Emma Crichton – The Courier

Chris Burn – The Yorkshire Post

Colin Campbell – BBC South East Today

Dolly Carter – East Anglian Daily Times

Sam McBride – Belfast Telegraph 

Jennifer McKiernan – BBC Shropshire 

Liam Thorp – Liverpool Echo

Health & Life Sciences

Carolyn Atkinson – BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour

Adam Bychawski – openDemocracy 

Rory Carson, Hannah O’Grady, Aisling Gallagher, Andrew Head, David Howell, Nick Woolley and Karen Wightman – BBC Panorama 

Mark Hedgecoe, James Rogan, Simon Gilchrist, Lesley Shields, Xinlan Rose and John Moffat – ITV Exposure 

Lisa Holland, Rachel Lucas and Rebecca Thomas – Sky News/The Independent

Sarah Neville and Amy Borrett – Financial Times 

Sanchia Berg and Katie Inman – BBC News 

Emily Dugan – The Guardian 

Julie Etchingham, Anna Manton, Lizzy Elton, Mike Blair, Laura Caveney-Morgan, Dave Woodyer and Alex Horsfall – ITV Exposure/Multistory Media

Liz Hull and Caroline Cheetham – Daily Mail 

Roddy Russell, Steve Langridge, Melissa FitzGerald and Henry Rossi – BBC Radio 4/Zinc Media 

Mark Townsend – The Observer 

Comment Journalism   

Ian Birrell – The i

William Hague – The Times

Matthew Holehouse – The Economist

Marina Hyde – The Guardian

James Marriott – The Times 

Jane Moore – The Sun

Piers Morgan – The Sun

Robert Shrimsley – Financial Times

Specialist Journalism  

Peter Blackburn and Ben Ireland – The Doctor magazine/British Medical Association

Samantha Booth – Schools Week 

Max Daly – VICE News 

Lawrence Dunhill – Health Service Journal 

Anna Moore – The Guardian 

Dan Neidle – Tax Policy Associates 

Gabriella Swerling – The Telegraph

Ian Weinfass – Construction News 

Foreign Affairs Journalism   

Christina Lamb – The Sunday Times 

Jack Losh – BBC Newsnight 

Handa Majed, Ben Ferguson, Nechirvan Mando, Jamie Welham and David Modell – ITV Exposure 

Nesrine Malik – The Guardian 

Gesbeen Mohammad, Esella Hawkey, Vasiliy Kolotilov, Sasha Odnyova and Mark Summers – ITV Exposure/Hardcash Productions

Stuart Ramsay, Dominique Van Heerden, Richie Mockler and Thomas Sue-Yek – Sky News

Steve Rosenberg, Will Vernon, Liza Shuvalova and Anton Chicherov – BBC News

Max Seddon, Polina Ivanova and Christopher Miller – Financial Times

Shahida Tulaganova, Alex Cooke, Alan Hayling, Dimitri Collingridge, Einav Leshetz Lovatt, Vadim Ilkov, Petro Tsymbal, Ben Blakey, Annabel New and Konstantin Kamenski – ITV Exposure

Technology Journalism, sponsored by Amazon   

George Arbuthnott, Jonathan Calvert, Ed Siddons, Franz Wild and Simon Lock – The Sunday Times/The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Siân Boyle – The Sunday Times/Daily Mail 

Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Manisha Ganguly, David Pegg, Paul Lewis, Carole Cadwalladr and Jason Burke – The Guardian

Katie McQue and Mei-Ling McNamara – The Guardian

Madhumita Murgia – Financial Times

James Titcomb – The Telegraph

Built Environment Journalism   

James Fransham – The Economist

Harriet Grant – The Guardian 

Jessica Hill – Schools Week 

Mike Phillips, Ciara Long and Jacob Wallace – Bisnow

Damian Shepherd – Bloomberg UK 

Josh Spero and Anjli Raval – Financial Times

Personal Finance Journalism  

Andrew Picken – BBC Scotland News Online

Claer Barrett – Financial Times 

Lucinda Borrell – BBC Radio 4 

Jessie Hewitson – The i 

Callum Mason – The i 

Katie Morley – The Telegraph 

Peter Ranscombe – Scottish Field 

Anna Tims – The Guardian and Observer

Energy & Environment Journalism, sponsored by RenewableUK  

Chris Cook, Tom Wilson and David Sheppard – Financial Times

Gavin Finch, Jason Grotto and Todd Gillespie – Bloomberg News

Patrick Greenfield – The Guardian/SourceMaterial

Jess Kelly, Owen Pinnell, Carole Bertinet, Mohamed Boteen, Nour Altounji, Inam Talib, Azhar Al-Rubaie, Rosie Garthwaite, Mustafa Khalili and Tim Awford – BBC News

Sam McBride – Belfast Telegraph 

Elisângela Mendonça, Andrew Wasley, Misbah Khan, Grace Murray and Josephine Moulds – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism 

Tim Robinson, Joe Crowley and Andrew Head – BBC Panorama

Rachel Salvidge and Leana Hosea – The Guardian/Watershed Investigations

Arts & Entertainment Journalism   

Rachael Healy – The Guardian

Richard Morrison – The Times

Ashleigh Rainbird – Daily Mirror

Gordon Rayner and Dalya Alberge – Telegraph Media Group 

Katie Razzall, Roxanne Panthaki and Maxine Collins – BBC News

Josh Spero and Anjli Raval – Financial Times

Vanessa Thorpe – The Observer 

New Journalist of the Year  

Harriet Barber – The Telegraph 

Antonia Cundy – Financial Times

Sam Leader – ITV News 

Oliver Marsden – The Sunday Times 

Ruben Reuter – Channel 4 News 

Imogen Savage – Financial Times 

Lara Spirit – The Times

Tobi Thomas – The Guardian

Sports Journalism   

Miguel Delaney – The Independent 

Rob Draper – Mail on Sunday/Mail+/MailOnline 

Oliver Holt – Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday 

Matt Lawton – The Times 

Hannah Jane Parkinson – The Observer/The Guardian

William Ralston – The Guardian

David Walsh – The Sunday Times 

Campaign of the Year  

Clean It Up – The Times

Earthquake Appeal  – The Sun

Eljamel public inquiry – The Courier

Justice for Olivia: Cheryl Korbel campaigns to stop ‘no show’ killers – ITV News

Me Too in Medicine – The BMJ

Paucity of Esteem – The Doctor Magazine/British Medical Association

Save Our Ticket Offices – Daily Mirror 

The Bruno and Dom project – The Guardian

Photojournalism

Hollie Adams – Bloomberg UK

Hollie Adams captures Liz Truss during her keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference on 5 October 2022. Picture: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg UK
Hollie Adams captures Liz Truss during her keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference on 5 October 2022. Picture: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg UK

Facundo Arrizabalaga – MyLondon

Facundo Arrizabalaga captures black mould in a family home in one of his British Journalism Awards 2023 entries. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
Facundo Arrizabalaga captures black mould in a family home in one of his British Journalism Awards 2023 entries. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

Emre Caylak – The Guardian/1843 Magazine

Part of Emre Caylak's British Journalism Awards 2023 entry. Picture: Emre Caylak
Part of Emre Caylak’s British Journalism Awards 2023 entry. Picture: Emre Caylak

Victoria Jones – Press Association 

Press Association photo from Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, part of Victoria Jones's British Journalism Awards 2023 entry. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Media
Press Association photo from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, part of Victoria Jones’s British Journalism Awards 2023 entry. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Media

Christopher Occhicone – 1843 Magazine, The Economist 

Christopher Occhicone spent weeks embedded in a frontline hospital in Ukraine. Picture: Christopher Occhicone/The Economist
Christopher Occhicone spent weeks embedded in a frontline hospital in Ukraine. Picture: Christopher Occhicone/The Economist

Stefan Rousseau – Press Association 

Home Secretary Suella Braverman throwing her back with laughter at a construction site in Rwanda where houses were being built to accommodate migrants sent from the UK. One of Stefan Rousseau’s British Journalism Awards 2023 entries. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Media
Home Secretary Suella Braverman throwing her back with laughter at a construction site in Rwanda where houses were being built to accommodate migrants sent from the UK. One of Stefan Rousseau’s British Journalism Awards 2023 entries. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Media

Interviewer of the Year

Decca Aitkenhead – The Sunday Times

Josh Baker – BBC

Tom Bradby – ITV1

Jessamy Calkin – The Telegraph

Kathryn Knight – Daily Mail 

Laura Kuenssberg – BBC Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Henry Mance – Financial Times 

Amol Rajan – BBC News

Politics Journalism

Anushka Asthana – ITV News 

Katy Balls – The Spectator 

Harry Cole – The Sun 

Pippa Crerar – The Guardian

John Ferguson – Sunday Mail

John Stevens – Daily Mirror 

Steven Swinford – The Times

Business, Finance and Economics Journalism, sponsored by Starling Bank

Ashley Armstrong – The Sun 

James Hurley and George Greenwood – The Times 

Anna Isaac – The Guardian 

Madison Marriage, Antonia Cundy and Paul Caruana Galizia – Financial Times 

Laura Noonan, Arash Massoudi, Stephen Morris, James Fontanella-Khan and Owen Walker – Financial Times 

Gordon Rayner – Telegraph Media Group 

Travel Journalism

Shafik Meghji – Adventure.com/Geographical/Intrepid Times

Ruaridh Nicoll – Financial Times

John Phipps – 1843 Magazine, The Economist

Sophie Pinkham – 1843 Magazine, The Economist  

Tom Robbins, Simon Usborne and Oliver Barnes – Financial Times 

Phoebe Smith – The Guardian/The Independent/The i

Jessica Vincent – BBC Travel/National Geographic Traveller UK/Conde Nast Traveler

Online Video Journalism, sponsored by YouTube 

Victoria Arakelyan, Antoine Schirer, Bertram Hill, Mustafa Khalili, Jake Tacchi and Manisha Ganguly – BBC Eye Investigations 

Sophie Braybrook, Matthew Lucas and Mahnoor Akhlaq – Channel 4 News 

Anna Bucks, Nicolas Pelham, David Alter, Simon Barnes, Lee Mears, Nino Bennett and Tom Stokes – The Economist

Jean MacKenzie – BBC News 

Paul Morgan-Bentley and The Times video team – The Times 

Steph Spyro, Dan Dove and Tim Merry – Daily Express

Investigation of the Year

David Conn and Paul Lewis – The Guardian 

Gareth Davies, Bronagh Munro and Rory Tinman – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism/BBC Panorama

John Ferguson, Hannah Rodger and Craig Robertson – Sunday Mail

Alan Haslam, Karen Wightman, Joe Plomin, Leo Telling, David Preston, Dickon Hooper, Celia Watson, Oliver Newlan, Jo Heaver and Sahar Alavi – BBC Panorama

Ellie Flynn and Alice McShane – Channel 4/Kalel Productions

Tom Kelly and Izzy Lyons – Daily Mail

Handa Majid, Ben Ferguson, Nechirvan Mando, Jamie Welham and David Modell – ITV Exposure 

Dan Neidle – Tax Policy Associates

Scoop of the Year   

Exposed: How British Gas Debt Agents Break into Homes of Vulnerable – The Times

Lucy Letby: The Doctor Who Helped Catch the Killer – ITV News

Nadhim Zahawi Pays Up Millions in Tax – The Sun on Sunday  

Sun on Sunday Nadhim Zahawi Scoop of the Year entry at British Journalism Awards 2023
Sun on Sunday Nadhim Zahawi Scoop of the Year entry at British Journalism Awards 2023

The BBC Chairman, the Prime Minister and the £800,000 Loan Guarantee – The Sunday Times

Sunday Times Scoop of the Year entry for British Journalism Awards 2023
Sunday Times Scoop of the Year entry for British Journalism Awards 2023

The Coutts Files – GB News 

The Lockdown Files – The Telegraph 

The first Lockdown Files Telegraph front page on 1 March 2023
The first Lockdown Files Telegraph front page on 1 March 2023

UBS Agrees to Buy Credit Suisse for More Than $2bn – Financial Times 

FT UBS-Credit Suisse story

Innovation of the Year, sponsored by Google News Initiative

Sam Coates, Joe White, Katie Riley, Tom Larkin, Tom Rayner, Edward Clowes and David Mapstone – Sky News/Tortoise Media

Chris Cook, Polina Ivanova, Ayla Jean Yackley, Adam Samson, Christian Davies, Laura Pitel, Primrose Riordan, Chan Ho-Him and the Visual Storytelling team – Financial Times

Rhiannon J Davies and Juliana da Penha – The Scottish Beacon

Liz Hull and Caroline Cheetham – Daily Mail

Lindsay McCoy, Ros Atkins, Marianna Spring, Nick Beake, Alison Benjamin, Harriet Agerholm and the BBC Verify team – BBC News

Dan Russell, Jenna Thompson and Rachel Gorman – Reach

Visual Storytelling team – The Telegraph 

Women in Journalism Georgina Henry Award, sponsored by Wiggin

Rhiannon DaviesThe Scottish Beacon 

Steph Dyson and Lottie GrossTalking Travel Writing 

Juliana da PenhaMigrant Women Press 

Zoe PaskettLMAOnaise Comedy 

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Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly dose of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
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