The awards are more popular than ever, with a record breaking 161 student and trainee entries, compared to 119 entries last year, says the NCTJ.
The awards, now in their fifth year, highlight the achievements of individuals with promising journalism careers ahead of them. The awards are open to students on NCTJ-accredited courses and trainees working towards the National Certificate Examination.
The shortlist was drawn up by an expert judging panel, made up of senior journalists and editors from the print and broadcast industry.
The panel included: Jonathan Barry, picture editor at Worcester Evening News; Brien Beharrell, editorial director of Newbury Weekly News; Orla Chennaoui, journalist at Sky Sports News; David Collins, news reporter at the Daily Mirror; Nicole Garnon, deputy editor at South Wales Argus; David Jones, chief foreign writer at the Daily Mail; Dave King, head of news at Sussex Newspapers; Stephen Moyes, senior reporter at The Sun; Steve Phillips, group picture editor at South Wales Evening Post; David James Smith, journalist at The Sunday Times Magazine; Laurie Tucker, day editor at Sky Sports News and Joy Yates, editor at Hartlepool Mail.
The winners of each category will be announced at the NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference in Nottingham in November.
The full shortlist is as follows:
News Journalism
Student
Joe Cooper (Leeds Trinity University College)
Laura Maltby (City of Wolverhampton College)
Dean Wilkins (News Associates Manchester)
Trainee
Rachael Burnett (Dorset Echo)
David Churchill (Croydon Advertiser)
Alexandra Rucki (Wansworth Guardian)
Luke Tugby (Southern Daily Echo)
Sports Journalism
Student
Jack Gaughan (University of Central Lancashire)
David Lyons (Glasgow Caledonian University)
Top Scoop
Student
Charlene Davies (City of Wolverhampton College)
Adam Knight (News Associates London)
Joanna Morris (Darlington College)
Trainee
Georgina Cotton (Essex Chronicle)
Bethan Evans (Weston, Worle and Somerset Mercury)
Dominic Shaw (Hartlepool Mail)
Features
Student
Rebecca Longshaw (Nottingham Trent University)
James Maddison (University of Central Lancashire)
Jennifer Morris (News Associates London)
Ashleigh Withall-Prince (Nottingham Trent University)
Trainee
Andrew Fitchett (Bury Free Press)
Charlotte Lowe (Cornish Guardian)
Hardeep Matharu (Epsom Guardian)
Dan Robinson (Henley Standard)
Images
Student
Joel Goodman (The Sheffield College)
Harry Atkinson (The Sheffield College)
Trainee
Alex Cantrall-Jones (Derby Telegraph)
Isabel Infantes (Hackney Gazette)
Best Student Publication
De Montfort University (Royal Visit)
Kingston University (Kingston Courier)
Leeds Trinity University College (North Leeds News and More)
University of Brighton (Overtime Online)
