The Liverpool Daily Post and Echo are in the running for five awards in this year’s North West Media Awards.

The paper is nominated for Daily Newspaper of the Year and reporters Ben Turner, Paddy Shennan, Mark Johnson and Alistair Houghton are in the final line up for individual awards.

The Cumberland News was also a favourite with the judging panel. Cumberland News reporters Sarah Newstead, Roger Lytollis and Amanda Little are in line for individual honours and the News is also nominated in the Weekly Newspaper of the Year category.

In the Broadcast Journalist of the Year category Granada Report’ anchor Lucy Meacock is shortlisted with BBC Inside Out reporter Jacey Normand and Sky TV’s Tessa Chapman. Granada Reports’ Chris Hall is nominated in both the News Reporter and Sports Reporter of the Year categories.

BBC Merseyside is the only BBC station to make the cut in the radio broadcast categories. Reporter Jimmy McCracken is facing opposition from Kate Collins of Real Radio, Kellie O’Donnell from Wish and Tower FM and Rock FM’s Lucy Ward.

Young journalists and communicators of the future will also be honoured in the Think Big media award which was introduced to celebrate the work of young people using communication skills to improve their local communities.

The awards will be presented on November 4 at the Palm House in Liverpool in front of an invited audience of journalists and celebrity guests. O2 launched their regional media awards three years ago but this is first year the awards have involved the whole of the North West region.

O2’s Director of Communications, Reputation and Sustainability, Glenn Manoff, said the quality and volume of entries was outstanding demonstrating the growing popularity of the awards among regional journalists.

‘The standard of entries was superb and we are looking forward to an exciting presentation evening when we can celebrate the tremendous efforts regional journalists put in to keep communities informed and entertained,’ he added.

On the night O2 will also announce a special lifetime achievement award.

Judges were drawn from the world of television, print, radio and digital media. Because of the volume of entries five separate judging panels were required to review journalists’ work. Society of Editors regional chairman Richard Catlow, who led one of the panels, said the quality of entries was as good as he had seen at any media awards event, either regionally or nationally.

The full list of nominees is:

Daily Newspaper of the Year

Bolton News

Liverpool Echo

North West Evening Mail

Blackpool Gazette

Weekly Newspaper of the Year

Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News

Whitehaven News

Saddleworth Independent

Cumberland News Chester Chronicle

News Reporter of the Year

Chris Hall, Granada Reports

Ben Turner, Liverpool Echo

Sam Chadderton, Lancashire Telegraph

Feature Writer of the Year

Paddy Shennan, Liverpool Echo

Sarah Newstead, Cumberland News

Phil Coleman, News and Star

Roger Lytollis, Cumberland News

Mark Smith, Widnes Weekly News

TV Journalist of the Year

Jacey Normand, BBC inside Out

Lucy Meacock, Granada Reports

Tessa Chapman, Sky TV

Radio Broadcaster of the Year

Kate Collins, Real Radio

Kellie O’Donnell, Wish and Tower FM

Lucy Ward, Rock FM

Jimmy McCracken, BBC Radio Merseyside

Editorial Team of the Year

Workington Times and Star

Granada Reports

Sky TV

Think Big Award (for young communicators)

Alex Browning and James Mernagh, Ex:Ample

Megan Booth, Thomas Boteler High School, Warrington and the Communication for Youth project

Respect and Reflect team, South Liverpool

Park High School Specialist Sports College, Prenton

Scoop of the Year

Chris Lynham, Oldham Chronicle

Mark Johnson, Liverpool Echo

Natalie Banks, Chorley Guardian

Photographer of the Year

Ian Robinson, Lancashire Evening Post

Sean Hansford, Rochdale Observer

Vincent Cole, Rochdale Observer

Digital Journalist of the Year

Will Watt, Blackpool Gazette

Granada Reports digital team

Key 103

Business Journalist of the Year

Andy Gill, BBC North West Tonight

Chris Barry, Business Desk.Com

Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

Chris Hopper, Lancashire Telegraph

Sports Journalist of the Year

Amanda Little, News and Star/Cumberland News

Chris Hall, Granada Reports

Andy Cryer, Lancashire Telegraph

Young Journalist of the Year – Dailies

Louise Martin, Radio City

Amanda Smith, Bolton News

Mark Tattersall, Granada Reports

Helen Steel, Blackpool Gazette

Young Journalist of the Year – Weeklies

Miranda Newey, Warrington Guardian

Natalie Banks, Chorley Guardian

Naomi Dunning, Chester Chronicle

John Siddle, Southport Visiter

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