Award Categories
The Regional Press Awards for 2018 took place on Friday 17 May 2019 at the IET, Savoy Place, London.
The premier awards, organised by the Society of Editors, on behalf of the industry celebrated the best of British regional and local journalism during 2018.
Find the winners here.
Visit our gallery and see the highlights of the ceremony.
Visit Twitter accounts for coverage: @EditorsUK #RegPressAwards
Awards Categories for 2018
A full list of categories and guidance can be found here.
The names of those who had been shortlisted for the awards may be read here.
YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Open to journalists aged 26 or under on 31 December 2018 who have not previously been shortlisted for this award. Entries may include work from any journalistic discipline. Judges will be looking for the individual who has made significant impact over the year.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
For reporters and commentators covering all aspects of business and personal finance. Judges will be looking for the ability to break stories and explain issues to a general audience.
SPECIALIST WRITER/ IMPACT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
For journalists with specialisms not covered by any other category such as health, fashion, travel, science, environment, motoring and politics. The judges will look for journalists who break stories, analyse and explain their subject for a wider audience.
FEATURE WRITER /LONG FORM JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Quality of writing is paramount. Judges will be looking for journalists who demonstrate a compelling style in news reportage, colour writing, analysis and backgrounders.
(Please consider very carefully whether your entry is more suitable for Feature Writer/ Long Form of the Year or Reporter of the Year (Weekly or Daily/Sunday).
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR DAILY PAPERS.
Entrants should have a regular by-lined column or blog. The winner will be a journalist with a special style and the ability to provoke debate that may annoy as much as delight.
COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR WEEKLY PAPERS.
Entrants should have a regular by-lined column or blog. The winner will be a journalist with a special style and the ability to provoke debate that may annoy as much as delight.
SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR DAILY PAPERS
Open to sports news writers, match reporters, feature writers and columnists on daily newspapers. Entries may be from a variety of sports or one specialist area. Judges will be looking for good writing and agenda setting reporting.
SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR WEEKLY PAPERS
Open to sports news writers, match reporters, feature writers and columnists on weekly newspapers. Entries may be from a variety of sports or one specialist area. Judges will be looking for good writing and agenda setting reporting.
SOCIAL MEDIA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Open to anyone who regularly uses social media to enhance the public’s awareness of their own work and that of their publication/website. Entries may focus on an individual’s year-long all-round input or specific cases where an individual has shown imagination, technical awareness and flair to use the medium to full effect. You can submit up to three PDFs or screen grabs of the best examples of your work as well as the URL for each piece of work. You should also supply the URL for the route you would prefer judges to follow to access the digital content you wish to enter. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.
DATA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
This award seeks to recognise those journalists who are making use of the wealth of data and information that is now available to newsrooms. It could be using their skills to mine data bases for that nugget of information that cracks a story wide open, or fantastic use of FoI, or tracking down and interpreting facts for readers that reveals a true insight into an important story.
DIGITAL LIVE NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR.
This award seeks to recognise those journalists who go live either on Facebook or via live blogs or live tweeting that through their skill and understanding of the medium take the reader and viewer with them to the heart of the action.
DIGITAL LIVE SPORTS REPORTER OF THE YEAR.
This award seeks to recognise those sports journalists who go live either on Facebook or via live blogs or live tweeting that through their skill and understanding of the medium take the reader and viewer with them to the heart of the action.
REPORTING COMMUNITIES AWARD
This award seeks to recognise the tremendous work that goes on in regional newspapers to ensure all communities are well covered. Entries can come from individual journalists or news teams that can show how they have ensured the diverse communities in their publication’s region are well served and that their journals reach out to provide reporting that is inclusive and all-encompassing regardless of ethnicity, ability, faith or sexuality. Entrants can submit three examples of their work plus a covering statement.
WEEKLY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
The category for weekly newspaper reporters who provide the heart and soul of any newspaper. The judges will be looking for well-researched exclusives brilliantly told. Tenacity, flair, investigative skill and an ability to handle difficult subjects carefully will score highly. In the case of long-running investigations entrants may include up to three items to count as one story.
DAILY/SUNDAY REPORTER OF THE YEAR
The category for daily newspaper reporters who provide the heart and soul of any newspaper. The judges will be looking for well-researched exclusives brilliantly told. Tenacity, flair, investigative skill and an ability to handle difficult subjects carefully will score highly. In the case of long-running investigations entrants may include up to three items to count as one story.
Visual awards
WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
News, sports and features pictures used in a weekly newspaper are eligible. Judges will look for versatility, technical skill and the ability to capture the picture that matters. The mood of an interview, subject or feature needs to come across strongly.
DAILY/SUNDAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
News, sports and features pictures used in a daily newspaper are eligible. Judges will look for versatility, technical skill and the ability to capture the picture that matters. The mood of an interview, subject or feature needs to come across strongly.
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: NEWSPAPER
An award for designers and graphic artists. Judges will look at finished pages that demonstrate innovative and skilled design as well as layout in a newsprint product including newspapers, supplement and irregular products produced as part of or accompanying a newspaper. Submissions require up to three PDFs of supporting work.
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: MAGAZINE
An award for designers and graphic artists. Judges will look at finished pages that demonstrate innovative and skilled design as well as layout in a regular standalone magazine associated with a regional newspaper publisher. Submissions require up to three PDFs of supporting work.
Team awards
SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR
Entries will be judged on outstanding content, design, use of photography and readability of a supplement that is published at regular intervals or to mark a special event or achievement, either with the newspaper or clearly linked to a local or regional paper. FOUR hard copies of TWO editions of the Regular Supplement or FOUR hard copies of a Special Supplement will be required by the judges.
MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
Many publishers and individual regional news centres produce high standard, superbly designed, monthly or regular standalone magazines. These are packed with wonderful content, are beautifully illustrated and give the national magazines a run for their money. This award recognizes the growth in the quality of these magazines and seeks to reward one of the outstanding success stories of the regional press. The magazine must be produced as part of a stable of products from a regional news publisher. Entries will be judged on outstanding content, design, use of photography and readability. FOUR hard copies of TWO editions of the magazine will be required to be sent to the judges.
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR DAILY PAPER
Judges will be looking for the outstanding and most memorable front page published in a regional or local newspaper during the year.
FRONT PAGE OF THE YEAR WEEKLY PAPER
Judges will be looking for the outstanding and most memorable front page published in a regional or local newspaper during the year.
SCOOP OF THE YEAR
The story or series of stories that everyone else wished they had broken. This can be a team or individual award.
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR DAILY PAPER
Judges will be looking for campaigns that made waves, struck a chord with readers and simply made a difference. This can be a team or individual award. Entries will also be automatically considered for the Making a Difference, People’s Choice campaign organised by Local Media Works.
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR WEEKLY PAPER
Judges will be looking for campaigns that made waves, struck a chord with readers and simply made a difference. This can be a team or individual award. Entries will also be automatically considered for the Making a Difference, People’s Choice campaign organised by Local Media Works.
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
The judges will look for excellent reporting, writing or flair and innovation in content, design and delivery and interaction with readers and will seek to recognise journalistic achievement online. You can submit up to three PDFs or screen grabs of the best examples of your work as well as the URL for each piece of work. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.
SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM OF THE YEAR
Open to news teams that have as a unit made the best use of social media platforms to reach out and engage with the public. Entrants may focus on sustained overall year-long achievements or pinpoint specific cases with breaking stories or campaigns. The judges will be looking for imagination, flair and technical know-how across a broad range of social media options. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.
DIGITAL INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
This category focuses on those bright ideas that changed the face of digital coverage. This could be an individual’s single idea that shaped a massive response from the public, or a team effort that showed flair and imagination as well as technical know-how. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.
THE OVERALL DIGITAL AWARD
The judges will look for the newspaper that produces the best journalism and service to readers on a range of platforms whether print, website, mobile or any other means. Special attention will be made to innovation and use of social media including blogs. You can submit up to three PDFs or screen grabs of the best examples of your work as well as the URL for each piece of work. You should also supply the URL for the route you would prefer judges to follow to access the digital content you wish to enter. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.
INNOVATION AND INITIATIVE AWARD OF THE YEAR
This category focuses on those brilliant innovations and ideas that have made their mark in the industry – from new supplements and sections to launches and re-launches of products. Entrants must show flair and imagination and explain the reasons behind the initiative and its effect. Please supply all URLs as plain text in your supporting statement.
THE CATHRYN NICOLL INTERVIEWER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Set up by the News Media Association, the Award has been launched in memory of Cathryn Nicoll who held the position of news editor at the Croydon Advertiser during her career as a journalist. Cathryn was known for her passionate belief in journalistic standards and training, and the new award will highlight and reward brilliant interviewing and feature writing by young journalists, with a cash prize of £500 for the winner. The award is open to any journalist working for a weekly or daily local or regional newspaper published in the UK, who is aged between 18 and 25 as at 5 March 2019. Entrants must submit a published feature or news story based on an interview that they have carried out with a well-known person or celebrity between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2018. The Judges will be looking for what they consider to be the best entry on the basis of quality, flair and originality of the prose and contribution to public debate or entertainment.
JOURNALISTS’ CHARITY AWARD
The winner will be chosen by the Journalists’ Charity and is in the gift of the charity’s council and recognises an individual or body that has made an outstanding contribution to journalism and journalists in any way. It cannot be entered.
FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
Gone are the days when ‘free newspaper’ was synonymous with the term ‘free rag.’ Many of today’s free circulation weekly newspapers are crammed with excellent editorial content. This award looks to recognise those publications that truly provide superb, all-round content but are free delivery or pick-up. To qualify a publication must be free for 80 per cent or more of its distribution. Free weekly newspaper of the year category will be judged by a panel of experienced senior journalists or former journalists from all parts of the media. They will consider the achievements of each of the entries across all platforms set out in submissions by editors. The judges will look for service to the local community, great exclusives and successful campaigns, editorial achievements and other outstanding journalism. Editors will be required to send in THREE different editions of their newspaper.
PAID FOR WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 10,000)
PAID FOR WEEKLY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 10,000)
Weekly newspaper of the year categories will be judged by panels of experienced senior journalists or former journalists from all parts of the media. They will consider the achievements of each of the entries across all platforms set out in submissions by editors. The judges will look for service to the local community, great exclusives and successful campaigns, editorial achievements and other outstanding journalism. Editors will be required to send in THREE different editions of their newspaper.
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (BELOW 15,000)
DAILY/SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (ABOVE 15,000)
Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year categories will be judged by panels of experienced senior journalists or former journalists from all parts of the media. They will consider the achievements of each of the entries across all platforms set out in submissions by editors. The judges will look for service to the local community, great exclusives and successful campaigns, editorial achievements and other outstanding journalism. Editors will need to provide THREE different editions of their newspaper.