The Guardian was named newspaper of the year at the Press Awards last night in recognition of its reporting into government surveillance activities in the US, Britain and elsewhere.
The judges said the Guardian "broke a story of global significance that went to the heart of the debate on press freedom. The fact that the coverage polarised opinion even within the press showed how important it was.
"The job of a newspaper is to speak truth to power and the past year has seen The Guardian do this with will and verve."
Picking up the prize Guardian News and Media editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger said: "It's a great honour for the Guardian to be named newspaper of the year by a jury of our peers. The story was not, in the end, publishable out of London and I want in particular to thank colleagues on ProPublica and the New York Times for collaborating with us. The support of editors and press freedom bodies around the world was also crucial.
"I want to acknowledge the personal cost to Edward Snowden involved in his decision to become a whistleblower. I must thank a team of extremely talented colleagues on the Guardian. And I dedicate the award to our friend and former deputy editor, Georgina Henry, who died recently."
Guardian is Newspaper of the Year. Dedicated to Georgina Henry. Thanks to a wonderful team. A toast to whistleblowers.
— alan rusbridger (@arusbridger) April 1, 2014
The Mail on Sunday won scoop of the year for its revelation that former Co-op bank boss bought drugs from a male escort. This saw off competition from stories including The Guardian's Edward Snowden revelations and The People's photos of Nigella Lawson being grabbed by the throat outside a restaurant by her husband Chares Saatchi.
Video highlights:
Full list of winners
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Young Journalist: Patrick Kingsley, The Guardian
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Business and Finance Journalist: Sarah O'Connor, Financial Times
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Political Journalist: Fraser Nelson, The Daily Telegraph
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Foreign Reporter: Anthony Loyd, The Times
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Science and Health Journalist: Sarah-Kate Templeton, The Sunday Times
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Specialist Journalist: Chris Hughes, Daily Mirror
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Sports Journalist: Martin Samuel, Daily Mail
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Feature Writer (broadsheet): AA Gill, The Sunday Times
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Feature Writer (pop): David Jones, Daily Mail
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Interviewer (broadsheet): Janice Turner, The Times
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Interviewer (pop): Jenny Johnston, Daily Mail
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Columnist (broadsheet): Gillian Tett, Financial Times
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Columnist (pop): Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail
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Critic: Rowan Moore, The Observer
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Showbiz Reporter: Dan Wootton, The Sun
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Photographer: Roland Leon, Sunday Mirror
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Sports Photographer: Darren Staples, Reuters
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Cartoonist: Peter Brookes, The Times
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Front Page: Boiling Point, Sunday People
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Supplement: FT Weekend Magazine, Financial Times
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Digital Award: theguardian.com
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Scoop: Crystal Meth Shame of Bank Chief, The Mail on Sunday
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News Reporter: Rob Evans and Paul Lewis, The Guardian
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Sports Team: The Times
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News Team: The Mail on Sunday
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Journalists' Charity Award: Philippa Kennedy
- The Cudlipp Award: London Evening Standard
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