Now in its eighth year, the annual awards recognise and celebrate the UK’s best print and online commentators and their editors. The Comment Awards are run by Editorial Intelligence, the knowledge networking business.
Announcing the shortlist, chair of judges Sir Anthony Seldon, said: “A tumultuous year both at home and abroad has meant that informed comment has never been more important. We have had more nominations than ever and our shortlist reflects the robust health of comment in this the eighth year of the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards.”
The Comment Awards 2016 shortlist:
ARTS, CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, gal-dem
Rachel Cooke, The Observer
A.A. Gill, The Sunday Times
BUSINESS COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services
Jim Armitage, Evening Standard
John Gapper, Financial Times
Andrew Hill, Financial Times
Sathnam Sanghera, The Times
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday
Sam Leith, Evening Standard
Brian Reade, Daily Mirror
COMMENT PAGES OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Vodafone
Evening Standard
Financial Times
The Sunday Times
COMMENT PIECE OF THE YEAR
Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian
Simon Schama, writing for Financial Times
Gary Younge, The Guardian
COMMENTARIAT OF THE YEAR
Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian
Janan Ganesh, Financial Times
Matthew Parris, The Times
CONTRARIAN OF THE YEAR
Ian Birrell, freelance, writing for The Independent
Nick Cohen, The Guardian
Nabila Ramdani, Independent on Sunday
ECONOMICS COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Pictet
Ed Conway, The Times
Chris Giles, Financial Times
Gillian Tett, Financial Times
FOREIGN COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Gifted to the IRC – International Rescue Committee
Roula Khalaf, Financial Times
Gideon Rachman, Financial Times
Gary Younge, The Guardian
INDEPENDENT BLOGGER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Doddle
Liz Gerard, SubScribe
Robin Lustig, Lustig’s Letters
The Secret Barrister
MEDIA, TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Virgin Media
Robert Colvile, freelance, writing for Financial Times, Politico and The Telegraph
Liz Gerard, SubScribe
John Thornhill, Financial Times
ONLINE COMMENT SITE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by EVRYTHNG
Financial Times
gal-dem
Media Diversified
POLITICAL COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Weber Shandwick
Rafael Behr, The Guardian
Dan Hodges, The Mail on Sunday
Matthew Parris, The Times
SCIENCE COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by The Wellcome Trust
Anjana Ahuja, Financial Times
Natasha Loder, The Economist
Oliver Moody, The Times
SOCIETY AND DIVERSITY COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian
Kenan Malik, The Observer
Laurie Penny, New Statesman
SPORTS COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
Simon Kuper, Financial Times
Martin Samuel, GQ and Daily Mail
Matthew Syed, The Times
YOUNG COMMENTARIAT OF THE YEAR
Oliver Moody, The Times
Hannah Jane Parkinson, The Guardian
Laurie Penny, New Statesman
EIDIGEST WOMEN’S VOICE
Mary Dejevsky, The Guardian and The Independent
Marina Hyde, The Guardian
Janice Turner, The Times
Rosamund Urwin, Evening Standard
This year’s judges, chaired by Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Buckingham, hail from an eclectic range of industries and backgrounds and include: Douglas Alexander, Senior Fellow, Harvard University Kennedy School, Visiting Professor at King’s College, London; Kurt Barling, Professor of Journalism, Middlesex University London; Samantha Asumadu, Founder, Media Diversified; Roz Kaveney, poet and novelist, Eve Pollard, author and journalist, and Andy Coulson, partner and CEO Coulson Chappell.
Barclays is the lead partner to the awards. Additional category sponsors will be announced shortly, say the organisers.
Winners will be announced at a special ceremony in London on Wednesday 23 November, 2016.
