Revived awards Attract Positive Response
Journalists and media students from across the East and West Midlands will be competing for the honours at this year’s Midlands Media Awards, being held at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Birmingham, on 14 November.
Almost 250 entries have been received, with the Feature Writer and Student Feature Writer categories being the most hotly contested, alongside Story of the Year and Student Story of the Year.
Llewela Bailey, chairman of Birmingham Press Club, which is organising the event, said: “The Awards are being revived for the first time since the outbreak of Covid and we are delighted to have had such a positive response. I believe the fact that more than 70 media students have entered categories specifically aimed at them augurs well for the future of the industry.”
She added: “I would also like to record our appreciation for invaluable support from Birmingham Airport, Birmingham Chinatown Business Association, HSBC UK and the University of Worcester.”
The tickets, for a three-course meal and a welcoming drink, are priced at £60 each. A table of ten is priced at £540.
Individual tickets for students are available for £35.
A drinks reception will be from 6-7 pm with meal sit-down at 7.30
Dress code: Gentlemen, lounge suit. Ladies: Dress Elegantly
For those wishing to stay overnight at the hotel, the Macdonald Burlington is offering a 10 per cent discount. Phone 0121 643 9191 and let them know you are attending the Midlands Media Awards. The offer is valid until October 31.
Tickets may be purchased by paying into The Birmingham Press Club account. Sort code 20-07-82. Account number 00463000.
Battling for the title of Newspaper of the Year (Daily) will be Birmingham Mail, the Shropshire Star and its sister-publication, Wolverhampton-based Express & Star, which won the accolade the last time the awards were held in 2019, while Newspaper of the Year (Weekly) will be decided between new start-up, the Lichfield and Burntwood Independent and the Stratford Herald, which was founded in 1860.
The nominations for Newcomer of the Year are:
Kieran Williams, Worcester News
George Icke, LBC/Global
Zane Hogan, ITV Central News
Luke Powell, Shropshire Star
Dan Walton, Express & Star
Meg Jones, Shropshire Star
Christopher Steers, BBC Midlands Today
Maisie Olah, BBC West Midlands
Olivia Warburton, Dudley News
Dylan Hayward, Leicestershire Live
Saskia Masaun, BBC
Charlotte Coles, Oxford Mail
The nominations for Business Journalist of the Year are:
Beverly Rademacher, Express & Star
Carl Jones, Shropshire Business magazine
Mark Gough, ITV News Central
Jon Griffin, Birmingham Business magazine
The nominations for Columnist of the Year are:
Kirsty Card, Express & Star/Shropshire Star
Toby Neal, Express & Star
George Allen, Derbyshire Live
Andy Wong Ming Jun, Freelance
Gill Sutherland, Stratford Herald
The nominations for Feature Writer of the Year are:
Heather Large, Express & Star/Shropshire Magazine
Kirsty Card, Express & Star/Shropshire Star
Chloe Hughes, BBC
Zoe Chamberlain, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Vanessa Anne Pearce, BBC
Adam Smith, Express & Star
Carl Jones, Shropshire Business magazine
Danny Thompson, Coventry Telegraph/Coventry Live
Andy Wong Ming Jun, Freelance
Naomi de Souza, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Dan Nathan Cave, The Dispatch
Amy Norbury, J’AIME magazine
Rhi Storer, Freelance
Eleanor Lawson, BBC
Gill Sutherland, Stratford Herald
Jon Griffin, Birmingham Business magazine
Graham Young, Freelance
The nominations for Campaign of the Year are:
Katie Wheatley, Northampton Chronicle & Echo
Mark Drew, Express & Star
Stephanie Baloo, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Tom Cullen, I Choose Birmingham
Graeme Brown, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
The nominations for the PR Campaign of the Year are:
Lucy Faulkner, V Formation
Tom Cullen, I Choose Birmingham
Jennie Ludford, We Are Story
Jodie Bruen, We Are Liquid
The nominations for Magazine of the Year are:
Amy Norbury, J’AIME
Carl Jones, Shropshire Business
Henry Carpenter, Birmingham Business
Jonathan Carter, Birmingham Living
The nominations for the Supplement of the Year are:
Graeme Brown, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Paul Cole, Freelance
The nominations for Sports Journalist of the Year (Broadcasting) are:
Dan Salisbury-Jones, ITV News Central
Steve Hermon, BBC West Midlands
The nomination for Sports Journalist of the Year (Print) is:
Leigh Curtis, Derby Telegraph
The nominations for Digital Journalist of the Year are:
Jaspreet Kaur, Coventry Telegraph/Coventry Live
Kirsty Card, Express & Star/Shropshire Star
Josh Sandiford, BBC
Naomi de Souza, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Eleanor Lawson, BBC
Graham Young, Freelance
Dylan Hayward, Leicestershire Live
Kavita Patel, ITV News Central
Shehnaz Khan, BBC West Midlands
Saskia Masaun, BBC
The nominations for Photographer of the Year (News) are:
Emma Trimble, Freelance
Nick Wilkinson, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Mark Williamson, Stratford Herald
Tim Thursfield, Express & Star
The nominations for Photographer of the Year (Features) are:
Adam Fradgley, Freelance
Emma Trimble, Freelance
Graham Young, Freelance
Mark Williamson, Stratford Herald
The nominations for Photographer of the Year (Sports) are:
Adam Fradgley, Freelance
Paul France, Freelance
The nominations for Radio Journalist of the Year are:
George Icke, LBC/Global
Luke Shannahan, LBC/Global
Kathryn Stanczyszyn, BBC
The nominations for Television Journalist of the Year are:
Ben Godfrey, BBC Midlands Today
David Gregory-Kumar, BBC Midlands Today
Josh Sandiford, BBC
Nicholas Smith, ITV News Central
Amy Cole, BBC Midlands Today
Lewis Warner, ITV News Central
Eleanor Lawson, BBC
Christopher Steers, BBC Midlands Today
Rebecca Wood, BBC Midlands Today
Kathryn Stanczyszyn, BBC
Maisie Olah, BBC Midlands Today
Rob Mayor, BBC Midlands Today
Jack Carson, GB News
The nominations for News Reporter of the Year (Weekly) are:
Rhi Storer, Freelance
Patrick James Hollis, Stratford Herald
Gill Sutherland, Stratford Herald
The nominations for News Reporter of the Year (Daily/Sunday) are:
Adam Smith, Express & Star
Jaspreet Kaur, Coventry Telegraph/Coventry Live
Naomi de Souza, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Claire Harrison, Coventry Telegraph/Coventry Live
Danny Thompson. Coventry Telegraph/Coventry Live
Mark Andrews, Express & Star/Shropshire Star
Nick Humphreys, Shropshire Star
Dominic Robertson, Shropshire Star
Dylan Hayward, Leicestershire Live
Saskia Masaun, BBC
Hannah Richardson, Leicester Mercury/Leicestershire Live
The nominations for Website of the Year are:
Lichfield Live (Ross Hawkes)
Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live (Graeme Brown)
Leicestershire Live (Linda Steelyard)
The Narrative Shaper Substack (Andy Wong Ming Jun)
Nottingham World (Emma Walker & Daniel Defalco)
Derby World (Emma Walker & Ria Ghei)
Birmingham World (Emma Walker, Joe Forte & Mimi Ibrahim)
The nominations for Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year are:
Birmingham Mail (Graeme Brown)
Express & Star (Mark Drew)
Shropshire Star (Mark Drew)
The nominations for Weekly Newspaper of the Year are:
Lichfield & Burntwood Independent (Ross Hawkes)
Stratford Herald (Andy Veale)
The nominations for Story of the Year are:
Hilary McConnell & Team, BBC Midlands Today
Jaspreet Kaur, Coventry Telegraph/Coventry Live
George Icke and Luke Shannahan. LBC/Global
Josh Sandiford, BBC
Hannah Richardson, Leicestershire Live
Joanna Tidman, BBC
Liz Hannam & Team, ITV News Central
Claire Lycett & Team, ITV News Central
Graeme Brown, Birmingham Mail/Birmingham Live
Andy Wong Ming Jun, Freelance
Kavita Patel, ITV News Central
Eleanor Lawson, BBC
Dylan Hayward, Leicestershire Live
Gill Sutherland, Stratford Herald
Nominations for the Media Student Awards will be announced later
