Newspaper of the Year Award Goes to Inverness Courier
The Inverness Courier has been chosen as the Newspaper of the Year by the Highland and Islands Media Awards' judging panel. Editor Robert Taylor will receive a cheque for £500, to be donated to a charity of the newspaper's choice, at the Highland and Islands Press Ball being held at the Newton Hotel, Nairn on Friday 6 February. The newspaper caught the eye of the judges with its all round coverage of news, features, comment and sports.
The Courier also picked up three individual prizes. Andy Dixon is the Young Journalist of the Year; Helen Paterson is Local Newspaper Reporter of the Year and Calum MacLeod was highly commended in the Feature Writer of the Year section.
Scottish Provincial Press photographer Bobby Nelson is Photographer of the Year and his colleague Gary Anthony was highly commended in the Local Photographer of the Year category.
The West Highland Free Press had four successes. Murray MacLeod won the best feature writer award and was highly commended in the Gaelic category. Keith Mackenzie, last year’s Journalist of the Year, is Sportswriter of the Year, and Willie Urquhart was highly commended in the Photographer of the Year category.
Skye writer Angus Peter Campbell won the Bord na Gaidhlig Award for best Gaelic entry.
Orkney recorded two successes. Lorraine Shearer, Orcadian, is the winner of the Jim Love Memorial Trophy for being Reporter of the Year. Local Photographer of the Year is Ken Amer, Orkney Photographic.
Shetland Times’ reporter Neil Riddell was highly commended in the Young Journalist of the Year category. Last year’s winner of this trophy, Euan Paterson of the Oban Times, was highly commended in the Local Newspaper Reporter of the Year category.
The Western Isles also featured on the prizelist with Michelle Robson of the Stornoway Gazette being highly commended in the Reporter of the Year category and Eric Morrison highly commended in the Sportswriter of the Year category.
Community Newspaper of the Year is the West Word, Arisaig. The paper will receive a cheque for £300, £100 of which will go to local charity. Best use of journalism on the web went to Stephen Mackenzie of the BBC.
The awards attract prize money of £2,300. The main sponsors are Diageo, the world's premier drinks company. The UHI Millennium Institute sponsors the prize for the Community Newspaper of the Year Award and Bord na Gaidhlig, the Gaelic award.
The awards will be made by Rt Hon Alex Salmond, MP, MSP, First Minister, Scottish Government at the Highland and Islands Press Ball on Friday 6 February 2009.
The full list of winners is:
Bord Na Gaidhlig Award for best Gaelic entry:
Winner: Angus Peter Campbell, Skye
Highly Commended: Murray MacLeod, West Highland Free Press
Best Use of Journalism on the Web:
Winner: Stephen Mackenzie, BBC
Local Newspaper Photographer of the Year:
Winner: Ken Amer, Orkney Photographic
Highly Commended: Gary Anthony, Scottish Provisional Press
Photographer of the Year:
Winner: Bobby Nelson, Scottish Provincial Press
Highly Commended: Willie Urquhart, West Highland Free Press
Young Journalist of the Year and the Alex Main Trophy
Winner: Andy Dixon, Inverness Courier
Highly Commended: Neil Riddell, Shetland Times
Sportswriter of the Year:
Winner: Keith Mackenzie, West Highland Free Press
Highly Commended: Eric Mackinnon, Stornoway
Local Reporter of the Year:
Winner: Helen Paterson, Inverness Courier
Highly Commended: Euan Paterson, Oban Times
Reporter of the Year and the Jim Love Memorial Trophy:
Winner: Lorraine Shearer, Orcadian
Highly Commended: Michelle Robson, Stornoway Gazette
Feature Writer of the Year:
Winner: Murray MacLeod, West Highland Free Press
Highly Commended: Calum MacLeod, Inverness Courier
UHI Millennium Institute Community Newspaper of the Year:
West Word, Mallaig
Newspaper of the Year:
Inverness Courier
Journalist of the Year:
To be announced at the Press Ball on Friday 6 February 2009.