Finalists announced for O2 Media Awards

The Yorkshire Post has received 10 nominations for gongs at this year’s O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and The Humber.

The Press, York also features strongly in the final line up. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, which this year will be held on July 22 at The Loft in Leeds.

The Yorkshire Post’s editorial team is shortlisted in eight of the 14 award categories including Newspaper of the Year, Features Journalist of the Year and Photographer of the Year.

The Press, York have four nominations including citations for Jennifer Bell in Young Journalist of the Year and Gavin Aitchison in the senior Reporter of the Year category.

The Star Sheffield, Hull Daily Mail and Bradford Telegraph and Argus will also be represented in the finals.

In the fight for weekly newspaper of the year it’s a two horse race between the Keighley News and the South Yorkshire Times. Judges criticized the quality of several of the weekly entries for lack lustre design and poor headline writing.

Radio entries also took an ear bashing with only two journalists, the BBC’s Kate Bradbrook (BBC Radio Leeds) and Mick Lunney (BBC Radio Sheffield) being considered worthy enough to make the final.

The BBC is also guaranteed a second award, this time in TV Broadcaster of the Year. BBC Look North’s Tom Ingall will be up against colleague Emma Blackburn.

The awards also recognise up and coming talent and this year there will be a special category called the Think Big award for media to honour young people who are using communication skills to make a difference in their communities.

Glenn Manoff, Director of Communications and Reputation at O2, said the awards had been hugely popular and this year there had seen a record number of entries.

“We are delighted to celebrate the huge service local and regional journalists provide to communities across Yorkshire and The Humber,’ she added.

O2 is the largest single site employer in Leeds employing more than 2,500 people.

Judges were Richard Catlow, Chairman of the Society of Editors and former Editorial Director for Greater Manchester Weekly Newspapers; Steve Hothersall, News and Sports Editor at Radio City; award-winning photographer Stephen Shakeshaft; Maria McGeoghan, Editor of the Manchester Evening News and Ian Savage, Editor of the Bolton News. Also on the panel were Nicola Priest, Editor of the Warrington Guardian, Jan Lever, Managing Director of Newsquest Blackburn and Bolton; Bill Gleeson, Business Editor of the Liverpool Daily Post, digital media producer David Ellison and Sky presenter and filmmaker Chris Moorcroft.

ENDS