The Midlands Media Awards has announced its annual shortlist- with the Birmingham Mail cornering 15 nominations and the Stoke Evening Sentinel capturing six bids while smaller papers such as the Derby telegraph (6) and the weekly Tamworth Herald (5) also stood out. Newcomer of the Year is the most hotly-contested category, with 26 entries received from media students and trainee reporters.
However, only two submissions were shortlisted for the Business Journalist award – the judges saying that they were surprised that many entrants regarded re-hashed press releases as being worthy of a prestigious award. And, judges added, it was apparent that few newspapers in the region adequately covered the business sector.
Altogether, more than 200 entries have been submitted for the Awards from across the region, with eight titles competing for Newspaper of the Year.
“At a time when journalists, nationwide, are still concerned over redundancies and title closures, it is encouraging to note that the awards still have as much appeal as ever,” said Llewela Bailey, chairman of Birmingham Press Club which has been organising the Midlands Media Awards for the past 15 years.
HSBC is headline sponsor of the awards, which are being held on 2nf November at Canalside, a waters-edge location within The Cube in Birmingham city centre. Other supporters are Bareface, Core, Russell Printers, The High Field and Milk and Mayo.
Among those shortlisted for the awards are:
Blogger/Columnist of the Year:
Anton Rippon, Derby Telegraph
Cheryl Hague, Derby Telegraph
Gary Newbon, Birmingham Mail/Coventry Telegraph
Jenny Amphlett, The Sentinel
Mike Lockley, Birmingham Mail
Peter Rhodes, Express and Star
Ross Hawkes, Lichfield Live
Business Journalist:
Enda Mullen, Coventry Telegraph
Les Reid, Coventry Observer
Campaign of the Year:
Tamworth Herald’s Forgotten Warrior
Tamworth Herald/Lichfield Mercury’s Save the Hospital Unit
The Sentinel’s Stoke-on-Trent City of Culture Bid
Birmingham Mail’s Justice for the 21
Birmingham Mail’s Pay for Hospice’s Christmas Day.
Express and Star’s Zombie Knives Campaign
Digital/Online Journalist:
Caroline Lowbridge, BBC East Midlands
James Sharpe, Leicester Mercury
Annette Belcher, Birmingham Mail
Antonia Bannister, Coventry Telegraph
Graham Young, Birmingham Mail
Rebecca Burrows, ITV Central
Features Journalist:
Amy Bowen, Central Independent Newspapers
Andie Darlington, Taste the Seasons
Jessica Labhart, Express and Star
Justine Halifax, Birmingham Mail
Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury
Richard Alt, The Sentinel
Zoe Chamberlain, Birmingham Mail
Llewela Bailey: “Awards still have appeal…”
Magazine/Supplement:
ArtsBeat (Amanda Penman)
Birmingham 2022 (Paul Cole)
Birmingham Living (Jonathan Carter)
Midlands Business Insider (Ian Griffin)
Venture (Kathryn Emerson)
Shropshire Business (Carl Jones)
Newcomer of the Year:
Jack Furness, The Sentinel
Jordan Coussins, Central Independent Newspapers
Gemma Davies, Quidem Radio
Michael McCann, Staffordshire University
Rhea Turner, Burton Mail
Oliver Hills, Birmingham Updates
News Reporter (Daily):
Enda Mullen, Coventry Telegraph
Jeanette Oldham, Birmingham Mail
Neil Elkes, Birmingham Post & Mail
Isaac Crowson, Derby Telegraph
Jack Averty, Express and Star
Helen Kreft, Burton Mail
News Reporter (Weekly)
Adam Smith, Halesowen News
Beverley Holder, Stourbridge News
Jordan Coussins, Central Independent Newspapers
Mike Lockley, Sunday Mercury
Nicholas Reid, Tamworth Herald
Sam Jones, Tamworth Herald
Sanjeeta Baines, Birmingham Post
Newspaper of the Year:
Birmingham Mail
Burton Mail
Derby Telegraph
Express and Star
Hereford Times
Hinckley Times
Sunday Mercury
Tamworth Herald
Radio Journalist of the Year:
Alex Hulse, Global Radio
Laura Chiverton, Global Radio
Laura Scigliano, Gem 106
Jennie Aitken, BBC Radio Stoke
Louise Easton, Free Radio
Rob Trigg, Free Radio
Sports Journalist of the Year:
Steve Clamp, ITV Central
Michael Sibert, ITV Central
Geoff Berkeley, Worcester News
James Sharpe, Leicester Mercury
Lewis Cox, Express and Star
Simon Gilbert, Coventry Telegraph
Story of the Year:
An Afghan interpreter’s journey (Audrey Dias, BBC Midlands Today)
Racism in football (Michael McCann, Staffordshire University)
NHS prescription fraud (Jonathan Gibson, BBC Inside Out West Midlands))
Horrors of Aston Hall (Isaac Crowson, Derby Telegraph)
Death on the Freezing Street –tragedy of rough sleeper (Birmingham Mail)
Tesco Pricing (Jonathan Gibson, BBC Inside Out West Midlands)
Television Journalist:
David Gregory-Kumar, BBC Midlands Today
Mike Prince, Made in Birmingham TV
Jonathan Gibson, BBC Inside Out West Midlands
Mark Gough and Michael Sibert, both of ITV Central
Sian Grzeszczyk, BBC Midlands Today
Tony Flanagan Photographer of the Year:
Darren Quinton, Trinity Mirror
Graham Young, Birmingham Mail
Nick Wilkinson, Birmingham Mail
Richard T Harris, Central Independent Newspapers
Steve Bould, The Sentinel
Tim Easthope, Birmingham Mail
