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Regional Press Awards 2015 – shortlists announced

Shortlists for the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards for 2015 have been announced. The awards celebrate the best of British regional and local newspaper journalism in 2015 in print, online and any other news platform.

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