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North West Newspaper Award Winners 2009 announced
The winners in the 2009 North West Newspaper Awards have been announced at a ceremony in Chester.
This year’s finalists were treated to a trip round the Sellafield Ltd site at Capenhurst before a meal and ceremony at the plush St David’s Park Hotel.
It proved to be a fruitful afternoon for staff from Cumbrian Newspapers, as The Cumberland News retained its Weekly Newspaper of the Year title and sister paper The North West Evening Mail, which covers the Barrow area, won the new category, Newspaper of the Year with a circulation under 20,000.
The Cumberland News also enjoyed success in the individual awards, with highly rated Carlisle United reporter Jon Coleman named Sports Reporter of the Year, and Stuart Walker who, like Jon, works for both The Cumberland News and its sister daily title the News and Star, claiming the Photographer of the Year title. Anne Pickles, who works with Jon and Stuart at the News and Star, was named Feature Writer of the Year.
There was reason to celebrate in Liverpool to as the News Reporter of the Year title went to Ben Rossington of the Liverpool Echo, whose sister paper, The Daily Post, provided Young Journalist of the Year, David Bartlett.
Also celebrating were the team from The Gazette, Blackpool, who beat off strong competition to be named Daily Newspaper of the Year.
The Best Newspaper Website categories went to Lancashire Evening Post (Daily) and Crains Manchester Business (Weekly).
Each individual award winner scooped a certificate and a cheque for £700, with the two runners-up in each category going home with £150 each and a certificate.
The daily and weekly newspaper and website winners each collected a trophy and a certificate and the runners-up were presented with a certificate.
Iain Irving, Sellafield Ltd’s Stakeholder Relations Director, said: “The awards proved to be as popular as ever, with ever category feircly contested.
“The standard of entry proved beyond any doubt that while times may be hard in regional journalism the highest quality is still being consistently produced.”
