Regional Press Awards shortlist unveiled

The Society of Editors has published the shortlist for its annual Regional Press awards, covering a total of 23 categories. Categories include a digital award, the shortlist for which includes the Belfast Telegraph, Liverpool Post and Echo, Manchester Evening News, Norwich Evening News and the Lancashire Evening Post. As well as prizes for individual journalists, designers and photographers the awards will announce a winning weekly and daily newspaper of the year, with separate categories for those with circulations above and below specified figures. In the category of weekly newspapers under 20,000 the shortlisted entries include the Northern Scot, Ulster Herald, Brentwood Gazette, Birmingham Post and the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald. Those with circulations higher than 20,000 that made the shortlist include the Essex Chronicle, Newbury Weekly News, Camden New Journal, Westmorland Gazette and the Surrey Advertiser. This year the awards also introduced a new editor of the year category which will recognise "the editor of a daily or weekly regional newspaper who has demonstrated either personal journalistic achievement in the public interest, a personally fronted campaign, an individual battle with authority or simply a great idea". Winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony in London on 25 May. The full shortlist is below: Young Journalist of the Year Ashleigh Barbour – Aberdeen Press and Journal Dominic Howell – Nottingham Post Alice Hutton – Cambridge News Emily Koch – Bristol Evening Post Ruth Lawson – NCJ Media Business & Finance Journalist of the Year Simon Bain – The Herald, Glasgow Jenny Chapman – Cambridge News Jon Griffin – Birmingham Mail Robin Johnson – Derby Telegraph Catherine Lea – Hull Daily Mail Specialist Writer of the Year Jon Austin – Basildon Echo Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life Paul Gallagher – Manchester Evening News Seanin Graham – Irish News Nicky Harley – Hull Daily Mail Feature Writer of the Year Lucy Adams – The Herald, Glasgow Janet King – Western Morning News Lee Marlow – Leicester Mercury John McGurk – Sunday Life Adam Wakelin – Leicester Mercury Columnist of the Year Aled Blake - Western Mail Carolyn Hitt - Western Mail Ian Midgley - Hull Daily Mail Elaine Morgan - Western Mail Paul Taylor - Manchester Evening News Weekly Sports Journalist of the Year Matthew Elder – Fife Free Press Danny Hall – Sheffield Star, Grass Roots Mark Jenkin – North Devon Journal Amanda Little – Cumberland News David Powell – North Devon Journal Daily/Sunday Sports Journalist of the Year Steven Beacom – Belfast Telegraph Jon Colman – Carlisle News & Star Mark Douglas – Sunday Sun John Gibson – Newcastle Evening Chronicle Simon Walter – Southern Daily Echo Weekly Photographer of the Year Stephen Garnett – Craven Herald Michael Gillen – Falkirk Herald Sean Hansford – Rochdale Observer John Jenkins – Lincolnshire Echo Joe Lord – East London AdvertiserDaily/Sunday Photographer of the Year Anthony Chappel-Ross – The Press, York Rowland Hobson – Peterborough Evening Telegraph Simon Hulme – Yorkshire Post Gary Longbottom – Yorkshire Post Ian Robinson – Lancashire Evening Post Weekly Reporter of the Year Gareth Davies – Croydon Advertiser Stuart Greer – Oldham Advertiser Tom Jennings – Witney Gazette Lui Straccia – Luton on Sunday Louise Wallace – Lincolnshire Echo Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year Bimpe Archer – Irish News Jon Austin – Basildon Echo Ciaran Barnes – Sunday Life John McGurk – Sunday Life Ben Rossington – Liverpool Echo Designer of the Year Award Gary Beckwith – Newcastle Evening Chronicle Ian Bond – Hull Daily Mail Sean Collins – The Journal, Newcastle David Lewins – Bristol Evening Post Doug Young – Newcastle Evening Chronicle The Digital Award Belfasttelegraph.co.uk – Belfast Telegraph Liverpool Post and Echo Manchester Evening News Pinkun.com – Norwich Evening News The 12 Plays of Christmas – Lancashire Evening Post Supplement of the Year Yorkshire Post Magazine Weekend - Belfast Telegraph Culture - The Journal, Newcastle NE Business Magazine - The Journal, Newcastle Western Mail Magazine Special Supplement of the Year The Blitz - Hull Daily Mail Welsh Warriors - Wales on Sunday Skelmersdale celebrates 50 years - Skelmersdale Advertiser Most Influential - The Journal, Newcastle Liverpool Playhouse - Liverpool Daily Post Front Page of the Year Carried on a Sea of Unity – Belfast Telegraph Help Bring These Rioters to Justice – Croydon Advertiser The Night Fire Took Lives of My four Babies – Derby Telegraph Wanted – Lancashire Evening Post Is This How You Feel? - Western Mail Scoop of the Year Bimpe Archer – Irish News Jon Austin - Basildon Echo Nicky Harley – Hull Daily Mail Neil Macfarlane – Evening Gazette, Middlesborough Rob Waugh & John Roberts – Yorkshire Post Campaign of the Year Lillian’s Law – Croydon Advertiser An Industry Betrayed – Derby Telegraph Missing from Home – Manchester Evening News Fighting Censorship by Killers – Sunday Life Whistleblower – Wirral Globe Weekly Newspaper (below 20K) The Northern Scot The Ulster Herald Brentwood Gazette Birmingham Post Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Weekly Newspaper (above 20K) Essex Chronicle Newbury Weekly News Camden New Journal Westmorland Gazette Surrey Advertiser Daily/Sunday (below 25K) Cambridge News Lancashire Evening Post The Journal, Newcastle Ipswich Evening Star Carlisle News and Star Daily/Sunday (above 25K) Sunday Life Manchester Evening News Belfast Telegraph Sunday Mercury Yorkshire Post