The awards, organised by Birmingham Press Club to celebrate the achievements of the region’s journalists, photographers, broadcasters and bloggers, will take place at Canalside, the waters-edge facility located within The Cube, one of Birmingham’s iconic landmark buildings.

Press Club chairman Llewela Bailey (pictured) said: “The awards are now in their 16th year and, despite the print world being embroiled in a period of major change, they continue to be a hotly-contested and much-anticipated highlight of the Press Club calendar.

“Over the years, the standard of entries has got higher and higher. So we are once more looking forward to being able to showcase the incredible professionalism of media specialists who are certainly amongst the best in the country, and are delighted to again welcome HSBC as headline sponsor.”

HSBC UK is currently building its new national head office at Arena Central in Birmingham city centre to serve its personal and business customers and by mid-2017 expects to be employing more than 3,500 staff in the city. Oliver Wall, Head of External Affairs, Europe, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the Midlands Media Awards again this year. The awards highlight the true calibre of talent based in the Midlands.”

This year, seven of the sixteen categories are also open to media students who are on recognised courses at universities and colleges in the region. Entries will initially be scrutinised by a panel of professionals who will then submit a shortlist to the final judging panel. Details on how to enter the awards are on www.midlandsmediaawards.co.uk