The Times was crowned the Daily Newspaper of the Year, with The Sunday Times taking the Sunday Newspaper of the Year title, at last night’s National Press Awards for 2018. Known as the ‘Oscars’ for the UK Press, organised by the Society of Editors, the judges awarded these top prizes for the success of their digital subscription models and consistent high-quality news investigations.
The Sun Online was given an award for best news website, where judges commended its heavy investment in original journalism to attract new audiences and retain its existing readers. Praised for its “serious investigations into terrorism and bowel cancer”, the site also delivered on its showbiz news, with Jane Moore’s exclusive ‘My Babs has Alzheimer’s’ picking up a new award for Popular Scoop of the Year.
It was a good night for The Mail on Sunday who took home the titles of Health Journalist, Specialist Journalist, Critic, Popular Feature Writer, and Popular Interviewer of the Year – for Caroline Graham’s astonishing series of exclusive talks with Thomas Markle revealing the estrangement from his daughter.
The evening also saw a special Chairman’s Award given to the Daily Mirror for its remarkable campaign ‘Change the Law for Life’. The chairman of judges, Ian Murray, said: “Over the space of three years, the paper brought the subject of organ donation to the forefront of the national agenda, winning over not just readers and the public to their cause but the politicians and experts they needed to ensure Max’s Law became a reality. This achievement shines out as a fantastic example of what outstanding journalism can achieve.”
The Times had a successful night, with the judges saying of their Daily Newspaper winner: “This year’s winner snatched headline stories of around-the-world news; its investigation into Oxfam’s sexual exploitation of Haiti earthquake victims was immensely powerful. Other investigations revealing the scale of the violent crime epidemic and how the Home Office turned a blind eye to forced marriages helped the paper over the 500,000 digital subscribers’ line.”
In a year where quality political reporting was paramount, Tim Shipman of The Sunday Times took both Political Reporter and Political Commentator titles for his work as a “peerless interpreter of Brexit”.
The event, held at the Royal Lancaster London and attended by some 500 guests, also saw The Observer awarded a number of prizes for its coverage of the Cambridge Analytica Files. For her work on the issue, Carole Cadwalladr picked up Technology Journalist of the Year, and the Observer team collected Investigation of the Year for Cambridge Analytica’s “brilliant exposure of the abuse of digital information, which had far-reaching effects in the public sphere”.
The News Reporter of the Year, awarded to an individual for their work over the cause of the year was awarded to The Times’s Sean O’Neill. O’Neill’s submission was described by judges as “snatching headline stories of around-the-world news”; his crucial exposé ‘Oxfam staff paid Haiti survivors for sex’ also picked up an award for Scoop of the Year.
The Cudlipp Award for Campaign of the Year went to The Guardian for its Windrush investigation, led by Amelia Gentleman. Created by the British Journalism Review, the award’s judges praised the story’s front-page delivery, which forced the Home Secretary to resign and the Government to take steps to rectify past and present injustices.
The power of a free press to ensure public freedoms was a theme greatly celebrated: Front Page of the Year went to The Telegraph for its front-page silhouette on ‘The British #MeToo Scandal’. This campaign led to a victory against NDAs in a high court judgement earlier this year.
Amongst some special industry awards delivered was the Journalists’ Charity Award, which photographer Paul Conroy received for his dedication to securing justice for his colleague Marie Colvin and ensuring the story of the Syrian conflict continues to be told.
A Society of Editors Fellowship was also presented on the night to Stanley ‘MAC’ McMurtry, former Daily Mail cartoonist, for his momentous contribution of 50 years of service to the industry.
Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray commented on the night: “A reading of the record number of entries for this year’s awards – and I have seen them all – should be mandatory for our political class and those who would ever seek to decry the industry’s achievements and contribution to the lives of the British people and those who watch our industry from afar.”
The awards were hosted by BBC Radio 5 Live and Newsnight presenter Emma Barnett.
A list of winners and highly commended appears below. Our website has a gallery of the event, and further video clips of the event can be found via our Twitter page. Full citations are available to download: Winners citations National Press Awards.
Anyone seeking further comment should call 01223 304080 or contact Executive Director Ian Murray at ian.murray@societyoeditors.org
Chairman’s Award
Winner: Daily Mirror, Change the Law for Life
The Journalists’ Charity Award – sponsored by Cision
Winner: Paul Conroy
The Women in Journalism Georgina Henry Award for Digital Innovation – sponsored by Wiggin
Highly Commended: Hazel Sheffield, Far Nearer
Winner: Olivia Crellin (founder) and Laura Garcia (co-founder), Press Pad
Young Journalist of the Year – sponsored by the Cecil King Memorial Foundation
Highly Commended: Tom Payne, Daily Mail
Winner: Laura Hughes, Financial Times
Business and Finance Journalist of the Year – sponsored by EY
Highly Commended: Rob Davies, The Guardian
Winner: Madison Marriage and Matthew Garrahan, Financial Times
Political Reporter of the Year
Highly Commended: Laura Hughes, Financial Times
Highly Commended: Tom Newton Dunn, The Sun
Winner: Tim Shipman, The Sunday Times
Political Commentator of the Year
Highly Commended: Matthew Parris, The Times
Winner: Tim Shipman, The Sunday Times
Foreign Reporter of the Year
Highly Commended: Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times
Highly Commended: Martin Chulov, The Guardian and The Observer
Winner: Anthony Loyd, The Times
Science Journalist of the Year – sponsored by Wellcome Trust
Highly Commended: Pilita Clark, Financial Times
Winner: Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph
Health Journalist of the Year
Highly Commended: Chris Smyth, The Times
Winner: Ian Birrell, The Mail on Sunday
Fashion Journalist of the Year
Highly Commended: Jess Cartner-Morley, The Guardian
Winner: Lisa Armstrong, The Daily Telegraph
Technology Journalist of the Year
Highly Commended: Danny Fortson, The Sunday Times Magazine
Winner: Carole Cadwalladr, The Observer
Environment Journalist of the Year
Highly Commended: Leslie Hook, Financial Times
Winner: Pilita Clark, Financial Times
Travel Journalist of the Year – sponsored by No 1 Lounges
Highly Commended: Ben Clatworthy, The Times
Winner: Tom Robbins, Financial Times
Specialist Journalist of the Year
Highly Commended: Frances Ryan, The Guardian
Highly Commended: Robert Booth, The Guardian
Winner: Sanchez Manning, The Mail on Sunday
Showbiz Reporter of the Year
Highly Commended: Grant Tucker, The Sunday Times
Winner: Clemmie Moodie, The Sun on Sunday
Reporting Diversity Award – sponsored by Penny Appeal
Highly Commended: Women in Sport, The Telegraph
Winner: Patrick Strudwick, BuzzFeed UK
The Hugh McIlvanney Award for Sports Journalist of the Year – sponsored by Amazon Prime Video
Highly Commended: Jonathan Liew, The Independent
Winner: Daniel Taylor, The Guardian
Interviewer of the Year – Popular
Highly Commended: Tom Newton Dunn, The Sun
Winners: Jan Moir, Daily Mail and Caroline Graham, The Mail on Sunday
Interviewer of the Year – Broadsheet
Highly Commended: Polly Vernon, The Times
Winner: Decca Aitkenhead, The Sunday Times Magazine
Columnist of the Year – Popular
Highly Commended: Deborah James, The Sun
Winner: Sarah Vine, Daily Mail
Columnist of the Year – Broadsheet
Highly Commended: Bryony Gordon, The Daily Telegraph
Winner: Deborah Ross, The Times
Feature Writer of the Year – Popular
Highly Commended: Ian Birrell, The Mail on Sunday
Winners: David Rose, The Mail on Sunday and Ros Wynne-Jones, Daily Mirror
Feature Writer of the Year – Broadsheet
Highly Commended: Holly Baxter, The Independent
Winner: Mick Brown, The Telegraph
Critic of the Year – sponsored by No 1 Lounges
Highly Commended: Miranda Sawyer, The Observer
Winner: Craig Brown, The Mail on Sunday
Photographer of the Year
Highly Commended: Peter Macdiarmid, London News Pictures
Winner: Danny Lawson, Press Association
Sports Photographer of the Year
Highly Commended: Andy Hooper, Daily Mail
Winner: Richard Pelham, The Sun
Cartoonist of the Year
Highly Commended: Nick Newman, The Sunday Times
Winner: Matt Pritchett, The Telegraph
Scoop of the Year – sponsored by Cision
Highly Commended: The Observer, Cambridge Analytica Files
Winner: The Times, Oxfam staff paid Haiti survivors for sex
Scoop: Popular Life
Highly Commended: The Mail on Sunday, Meghan’s Dad Staged Photos
Winner: The Sun, My Babs has Alzheimer’s
Investigation of the Year
Highly Commended: The Times, Oxfam staff paid Haiti survivors for sex
Winner: The Observer, Cambridge Analytica Files
Sports News Story of the Year
Highly Commended: Daily Mail, £250k-a-club whip-round for Scudamore!
Winner: Evening Standard, Wembley for Sale
News Reporter of the Year
Highly Commended: Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian
Winner: Sean O’Neill, The Times
Supplement of the Year
Highly Commended: The New Review, The Observer
Winner: T2, The Times
Magazine of the Year
Highly Commended: The Telegraph Magazine
Winner: The Times Magazine
Front Page of the Year
Highly Commended: The Guardian, The Lives of Grenfell
Winner: The Telegraph, The British #MeToo Scandal
The Cudlipp Award for Campaign of the Year – supported by the British Journalism Review
Highly Commended: Daily Mirror, Change the Law for Life
Winner: The Guardian, Windrush
News Website of the Year – sponsored by Google
Highly Commended: Telegraph.co.uk
Winner: The Sun Online
Sunday Newspaper of the Year – sponsored by Camelot
Highly Commended: The Mail on Sunday
Winner: The Sunday Times
Daily Newspaper of the Year – sponsored by Camelot
Highly Commended: Daily Mail
Winner: The Times
