The Regional Press Awards will be handed out at a ceremony over lunch to be held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel on Friday 20 May 2016.
The Society of Editors, which has been supported by Camelot since 2001, organises the awards on behalf of the newspaper industry. The event will also see the awarding of the Making a Difference ~ People’s Choice public vote organised by Local Media Works, part of News Media UK, for Local Newspaper Week.
The awards ceremony will be hosted by LBC radio presenter Nick Ferrari. Chairman of the judges Paul Horrocks said: “Once again the judges have been impressed by both the quality and quantity of the entries.
“We very much look forward to welcoming the shortlisted candidates on 20 May to further celebrate the work of the regions.”
Bob Satchwell, Executive Director of the Society of Editors said: "The strength of the entries reflecting the vitality of the local and regional newspapers in the UK shows that reports of their demise are seriously premature."
Shotlists for 2015:
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by HoldTheFrontPage
Rob Golledge, Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Ali Gordon, Sunday Life
Henry Holloway, The Argus, Brighton
Sophie Madden, Shropshire Star
Matt Oliver, Oxford Mail
Sophie Prideaux, Bristol Post
BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Foot Anstey
Simon Bain, The Herald, Glasgow
Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post
Robin Johnson, Derby Telegraph
Mark Latham, Sunday Herald, Glasgow
Gary McDonald, The Irish News
Simon Penfold, Express & Star, Wolverhampton
SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR
Janet Boyle, Sunday Post
Allison Coggan, Hull Daily Mail
Aasma Day, Lancashire Evening Post
Martin George, Eastern Daily Press
Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Charles Thomson, Yellow Advertiser
FEATURE WRITER OF THE YEAR
Zoe Chamberlain, Birmingham Mail
Phil Coleman, The Cumberland News
Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury
Lee Marlow, Leicester Mercury
Chae Strathie, Sunday Post
Graeme Whitfield, The Journal, Newcastle
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Asda
Emma Higginbotham, Cambridge News
Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail
Fred Leicester, Leicester Mercury
Allison Morris – The Irish News
Catriona Stewart, The Herald, Glasgow
Ericka Waller, The Argus, Brighton
WEEKLY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Jon Colman, The Cumberland News
Dave Evans, Newham Recorder
Chris Harby, Melton Times
Andrew Jones, North Devon Journal
Eric Mackinnon, The Stornoway Gazette
Les Reid, Coventry Observer
DAILY/SUNDAY SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Jon Colman, News & Star, Carlisle
Suzanne Geldard, Lancashire Telegraph
Danny Hall, Sheffield Star
Carolyn Hitt, Western Mail
James Pearce, Liverpool Echo
James Sharpe, Leicester Mercury
WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by UK Power Networks
Karen Britton, Macclesfield Express
Gareth Davies, Croydon Advertiser
Ruby Kitchen, Harrogate Advertiser
William McLennan, Camden New Journal
Les Reid, Coventry Observer
Emma Youle, Archant Investigations Unit
DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by UK Power Networks
Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life
Sophie Doughty, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Rob Golledge, Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Lindsay Pantry, Yorkshire Post
Jon Vale, Cambridge News
WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Gary Browne, Kent Messenger
Richard Cave, Oxford Times
Michael Gillen, The Falkirk Herald
Ian Longthorne, Windsor Express
Stuart Walker, The Cumberland News
Mark Williamson, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald
DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Rob Browne, Media Wales
Jonathan Gawthorpe, Yorkshire Evening Post
Jon Lewis, Oxford Mail
Rob Lock, Lancashire Evening Post
Stuart Martin, Southern Daily Echo
Kris Miller, The Courier, Dundee
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Matthew Chambers, Eastern Daily Press
Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod, Western Morning News
Sian David, Bath Chronicle
David Lewins, Bristol Post
Sarah Roberts, Eastern Daily Press
Adam Walker, Media Wales
SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
GL Weekend, Gloucestershire Echo
Long To Reign Over Us, Eastern Daily Press
Scotland’s 100 Iconic Moments, Sunday Post
Spirit of Cumbria, The Cumberland News
The Way We Were, The Sentinel
Weekend, Bristol Post
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by United Utilities
A City Mourns, Bath Chronicle
Decency 1 Hatred 0, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Deluged…but defiant, The Cumberland News
‘Indefensible’, Yorkshire Evening Post
Nature’s Fury, North-West Evening Mail
Thanks Andy, West Briton
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
£7m Scandal – the secret tapes, Brendan Hughes and Susan Thompson, The Irish News
Cameron Feels The Heat Over Austerity, Matt Oliver, Oxford Mail
Fat Cat Charity Bosses in Tax Dodge, Gordon Blackstock, Sunday Post
North Sea Gets £1bn vote of confidence, Rita Brown, The Press and Journal, Aberdeen
Shameful, Sophie Doughty, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Train of Shame, Ben Leo, The Argus, Brighton
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Asda
Fight the Cuts, CN Group
Kids in Crisis, Hull Daily Mail
One in Eight, Hereford Times
Pay up Now, Camden New Journal
Spirit of Cumbria, CN Group
#savebetsibabies, Daily Post, Wales
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by JTI
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk, Belfast Telegraph
www.birminghammail.co.uk, Birmingham Mail
www.chroniclelive.co.uk, Newcastle Evening Chronicle
www.dailyecho.co.uk, Southern Daily Echo
www.edp24.co.uk, Eastern Daily Press
www.irishnews.co.uk, The Irish News
THE DIGITAL AWARD
Sponsored by JTI
Boxing Day Floods liveblog, Manchester Evening News
Hillsborough Inquests, Liverpool Echo
Pink Un Interactive, Eastern Daily Press
Rugby World Cup, Wales Online
Trinity Mirror Data Unit, Trinity Mirror
Use of social media, Manchester Evening News
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
Essex Chronicle
Kentish Gazette
Macclesfield Express
Newbury Weekly News
The Cumberland News
The Scarborough News
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
Camden New Journal
Isle of Wight County Press
Kent Messenger
Rotherham Advertiser
The Westmorland Gazette
West Briton
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 20,000)
Bradford Telegraph & Argus
Cambridge News
News & Star, Carlisle
Sunday Mercury
The Argus, Brighton
The Press, York
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 20,000)
Aberdeen Press & Journal
Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Hull Daily Mail
Southern Daily Echo
The Courier, Dundee
Yorkshire Post