WINNERS 2026
Individual Awards
Cathryn Nicholl Award
Millie Bowles
KentOnline
Millie Bowles started at KentOnline three years ago as a community news apprentice with no journalism experience. She is now a senior reporter who has worked hard to inform, entertain and build trust with her local community. Millie’s submitted interviews demonstrate her range and strong storytelling skills. A profile of the chef Graha...
Alex O'Leary
The Northern Echo
Oliver Pridmore
Reach plc
Crime & Investigative Reporter of the Year
Charles Thomson
Newsquest Media Group Ltd
Newsquest crime and investigations reporter Charles Thomson uses strong rapid-response news reporting and long-term investigation to both expose institutional failures and cover-ups and reveal their heartbreaking, often overlooked, human costs.One extraordinary exclusive story told how an elderly woman was found wheeling her daughter's...
Callum Cuddeford
MyLondon
Conor Gogarty
WalesOnline
Jim Waterson
London Centric
Lucy John
WalesOnline
Martyn McLaughlin
The Scotsman
Richard Ault
Reach plc
Sam McBride
Belfast Telegraph
Tanya Fowles
The Impartial Reporter
Designer of the Year
Gary Beckwith
ncjMedia
In his 25 years with Reach PLC, Gary Beckwith has demonstrated impressive range in designing a wide portfolio of newspapers, supplements and magazines.His entries showcase his work on Newcastle Chronicle publications, which were produced following Newcastle United FC’s successful year in the Premier League and the Chronicle’s coverage ...
Marianna Longo
Reach plc
Raymond Esteban
Belfast Telegraph
Feature Writer of the Year
Steve Dinneen
City AM
As editor of City AM’s quarterly luxury supplement The Magazine and Life & Style editor of City AM newspaper, Steve Dinneen brings intriguing, lively and distinctive features to his audience. His long-read feature about nefarious actors using AI to generate fake articles was one of the first wave of stories exploring how this new techn...
Helena Vesty
Manchester Evening News
Jim Waterson
London Centric
Liam Thorp
Liverpool Echo
Neal Keeling
Manchester Evening News
Neil Mackay
The Herald
Ruby Kitchen
The Yorkshire Post
Ryan Paton
Reach PLC
Sam McBride
Belfast Telegraph
Opinion Writer of the Year
Aoife Moore
The Irish News
Aoife Moore’s columns are consistently among the most widely read and debated in The Irish News. She is determined to be a voice for those who go unheard or are marginalised, and fearless in ensuring uncomfortable debates are brought out into the open, while demanding truth and accountability from those in power.Aoife's characteristic ...
Neal Keeling
Manchester Evening News
Neil Mackay
The Herald
Noel Doran
The Irish News
Sam McBride
Belfast Telegraph
Photographer of the Year
Jonathan Gawthorpe
The Yorkshire Post
Photographer Jonathan Gawthorpe has worked on Yorkshire newspapers for almost 30 years. Covering a wide range of subjects – everything from museum exhibitions to regional sporting events – for the Yorkshire Post, he is passionate about the diversity of the region and the characters he meets along the way. This passion shines through in...
Anthony Devlin
Anthony Devlin Photography
Kenny Brown
Manchester Evening News
Kevin Scott
Belfast Telegraph
Simon Hulme
The Yorkshire Post
Tony Johnson
Yorkshire Post Newspapers
Daily Reporter of the Year
Sam McBride
Belfast Telegraph
Sam McBride, Northern Ireland editor of the Belfast Telegraph, has earned a reputation for hard-hitting, forensic reporting that is fearless in holding the powerful to account. His stories show the importance of detailed investigative journalism, driven by a passion for uncovering abuses of power and explaining them simply to the publi...
Conor Gogarty
WalesOnline
James Holt
Manchester Evening News
Liam Thorp
Liverpool Echo
Liam Tunney
Belfast Telegraph
Lucy John
WalesOnline
Martin Williams
The Herald and
Sophie Doughty
Newcastle Chronicle
Weekly Reporter of the Year
Will Hayward
The Will Hayward Newsletter
Will Hayward passionately believes that Wales needs more journalism that makes complicated issues accessible to the public. So in September 2024, he left his salaried journalism job to launch his own newsletter, one exclusively focused on making the complex issues that drive public governance and public services more widely and easily ...
Angela Davison
Mediahuis Sunday Life
Brad Harper
KentOnline
Charles Thomson
Newsquest Media Group Ltd
Jim Waterson
London Centric
Martyn McLaughlin
Scotland on Sunday
Neil Mackay
The Herald
Specialist Journalist of the Year
Liam Thorp
Liverpool Echo
As political and agenda editor of the Liverpool Echo, Liam Thorp is a campaigning journalist whose stories drive real change. He was the first to break the news that a local baby hospice, Zoe’s Place, would be closing amid financial problems. The news provoked a huge response and the Echo subsequently partnered with politicians, city l...
Daniel Holland
Newcastle Chronicle
Ethan Davies
Manchester Evening News
Helena Vesty
Manchester Evening News
Jane Haynes
Birmingham Live
Katharine Hay
The Scotsman
Neil Mackay
The Herald
Rob Parsons
Reach plc
Sarah Booker-Lewis
Brighton and Hove News
Sports Journalist of the Year
Matthew Lindsay
The Herald
As chief football writer of The Herald, Matthew Lindsay presents sports stories in a colourful, often surprising light, showcasing impressive range.For the past five years, Matthew has been reporting on how young players in the Club Academy Scotland system are treated by the country’s leading professional clubs. As part of his coverage...
Joe Thomas
Liverpool Echo
Jon Colman
Newsquest Cumbria
Keith Bailie
Belfast Telegraph
Neil Allen
Portsmouth News
Rob Robertson
The Herald
Steven Beacom
Belfast Telegraph
Young Journalist of the Year
Ben Roberts-Haslam
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo reporter Ben Roberts-Haslam has had an impactful year covering significant national stories and breaking major exclusives. His work has seen him named on the 2025 Press 30 Under 30 List, and invited onto national television as a commentator in recognition of his coverage of the Southport attack. His tenacious yet respect...
Abdullah Sabri
Belfast Telegraph
Alex O'Leary
The Northern Echo
Caitlín Griffin
Manchester Evening News
Callum McGuigan
North West Newsgroup
Charlotte Coles
Newsquest Media Group Ltd
Rachel Rees
London Centric
Team Awards
Best Live Coverage
Liverpool Echo
In an age of increasing mis- and disinformation, trusted live news coverage matters more than ever. And that is exactly what the Liverpool Echo provides readers through its live blogging coverage of the most important regional stories. After a car ploughed into crowds of people in the wake of Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parad...
Belfast Telegraph
BirminghamLive
EssexLive
Manchester Evening News
Newcastle Chronicle/ChronicleLive
Campaign of the Year
Hillsborough Law
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo has long supported the families of the 97 Liverpool FC fans who died at Hillsborough on 15 April 1989. The publication first called for a Hillsborough Law, or a Public Office (Accountability) Bill to ensure professional and legal duties of candour, in June 2022. Three months later, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to deliver...
Broken Homes
MyLondon
Deep Cuts
BirminghamLive
Justice for the 21 - 50th anniversary
BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail
Keep Hitachi On Track
The Northern Echo
Lime bike danger: How rental e-bikes are mangling Londoners' legs
London Centric
Silent Crime
National World
We say no more
Manchester Evening News
Zoe's Place
Liverpool Echo
Digital Initiative of the Year
MyLondon
MyLondon’s Broken Homes project shines a light on London’s housing crisis, powerfully highlighting the need for change. Creative use of data visuals, photography and video bring a variety of stories to life – from widespread tower block lift failures trapping people in their homes to Londoners being threatened with homelessness unless ...
BirminghamLive
Guernsey Press
Manchester Evening News
Reach data unit
Front Page of the Year
Birmingham Mail
The news pages for the next day’s edition of the Birmingham Mail had been wrapped up when news broke of the death of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. As Osbourne was a Birmingham native and local legend, it was clear the front page would have to change. Birmingham page planner Adrian Caffrey cleared the first seven pages for pictu...
The Northern Echo
The Scotsman
Western Morning News
News Website of the Year
Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph has supercharged its digital growth through cutting-edge, agenda-setting journalism and investigations. In-contract subscriber numbers rose by 30% in 2025, nearly trebling the previous year’s growth. Subscriber attention metrics also hit record levels. These results are powered by a strategy focused on giving audi...
KentOnline
London Centric
Manchester Evening News
The Irish News
Reporting Communities Award
Manchester Evening News
The Tony Walsh poem This Is The Place says of Manchester: “Some are born here, some are drawn here, but they all call it home.” The diversity of the city and its communities is something the Manchester Evening News strives to champion. Its reporting reflects the mixture of cultural identities across the region, celebrating them and rai...
BirminghamLive
MyLondon
Scoop of the Year
Top cop quits amid probe into 'Affairs'
Southern Daily Echo
It was a single comment at a misconduct hearing that lead to the Southern Daily Echo breaking and pursuing a story that ultimately led to the resignation of Hampshire’s chief constable, Scott Chilton. It is an impressive example of how local public-interest journalism can force accountability at the highest level.Reporters recognised t...
How Lime e-bikes keep breaking Londoners' legs
London Centric
Investigation into the far-right British Movement.
Manchester Evening News
London's temporary housing postcode lottery as some people moved 250 miles while neighbours stay local
MyLondon
Moments Before the Madness
Liverpool Echo
Show Us Who's Boss
Southwark News
Victory for Edinburgh mum and child who spoke out against 'monster' abuser
Edinburgh Live
Supplement of the Year
Weekend magazine
Belfast Telegraph
Belfast Telegraph’s Weekend magazine is the only weekend supplement published by a Northern Irish newspaper. It plays a key role in enriching reader experience and expanding the brand’s print offering. With its distinctive, confident editorial voice and focus on showcasing evergreen stories that matter locally, Weekend has established ...
City AM The Magazine
City AM
Review
Belfast Telegraph
Weekend
Western Mail
Organisations Award
Small News Brand of the Year
The Will Hayward Newsletter
In September 2024 Will Hayward left his secure salaried journalism job to launch his own newsletter, driven by the passionate belief that Wales needs more journalism that makes complicated issues accessible. Will believes that a lack of awareness among the Welsh public is a contributing factor to poor governance and public services iss...
Cambrian News
Cambridge Independent
Camden New Journal
London Centric
Northern Agenda
South Wales Echo
Southwark News
Large News Brand of the Year
CornwallLive
CornwallLive’s small team punches well above its weight in covering issues that matter to readers and holding power to account. It attracts up to 10 million monthly page views and is the only news outlet that consistently covers local courts. The team stands apart in its dogged pursuit of shining a light on subjects in the public inter...
Birmingham Mail
Express & Star
Liverpool Echo
Manchester Evening News
Nottingham Post
Oxford Mail
