SOME 77 journalists will vie for prizes at this year’s National Newspapers of Ireland Journalism Awards which will be announced next Thursday.
Last year’s National Journalist of the Year award was won by The Irish Times’s finance correspondent, Simon Carswell. He has been shortlisted again this year, in the category for business and economics journalists.
This year’s nominees for the National Journalist of the Year award are Mary Fitzgerald, foreign affairs correspondent at The Irish Times; Michael O’Farrell from the Irish Daily Mail; and the editorial team behind the Irish Independent’s presidential election coverage. They include Fiach Kelly, Cormac McQuinn, Fionnan Sheahan and Michael Brennan.
Other Irish Times reporters shortlisted for awards include: Martin Wall and Miriam Lord in the political category; Kathy Sheridan and Conor Lally for feature writing; Lara Marlowe for commentator of the year; Michael Harding for columnist of the year; Eileen Battersby and Gemma Tipton in the critic of the year category; Orla Tinsley for young journalist of the year; Malachy Clerkin for sports reporter of the year; Keith Duggan for sports columnist of the year; and the team behind The Ticket supplement for best design and presentation.
This year’s competition attracted some 603 entries. Among the 18 categories are new awards for headline writers, crime and security reporters, sports reporters and commentators.
A special award for an outstanding contribution to the newspaper industry will also be presented.
Chairman of the judging panel Michael Brophy said the response to this year’s invitation for entries had been overwhelming. “The standard is once again first class and a testament to the quality and diversity of Irish newspaper journalism.”
2012 NNI Journalism Awards: shortlist in full
National Journalist of the Year
Mary Fitzgerald, The Irish Times
Michael O’Farrell, Irish Mail on Sunday
Irish Independent Presidential Election Team: Fiach Kelly, Cormac
McQuinn, Fionnan Sheahan and Michael Brennan
Regional Journalist of the Year
Marisa Reidy, The Kerryman
David Looby, Wexford Echo
Joe Leogue, The Corkman
Sarah Horgan, Evening Echo
Crime & Security Reporter of the Year
Paul Williams, The Irish Sun
Nicola Tallant, Sunday World
Niall Donald, Sunday World
John Mooney, The Sunday Times
Gemma O’Doherty, Irish Independent
Alan Sherry, Sunday World
Eimear Ni Bhraonain, Irish Independent
Scoop of the Year
Senan Molony, Irish Daily Mail
Fionnan Sheahan, Irish Independent
Michael O’Farrell, Irish Mail on Sunday
Adelina Campos, Irish Sunday Mirror
Critic of the Year
Gemma Tipton, The Irish Times
Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
Liam Fay, The Sunday Times
Tom Doorley, Irish Daily Mail
Political Journalist of the Year
Martin Wall, The Irish Times
Miriam Lord, The Irish Times
Juno McEnroe, Irish Examiner
Eimear Ni Bhraonain, Irish Independent
Cormac McQuinn, Irish Independent
Business & Economics Journalist of the Year
Simon Carswell, The Irish Times
Mark Keenan, Irish Independent
Charlie Weston, Irish Independent
Tom Lyons, Sunday Independent
Conor Keane, Irish Examiner
Ian Kehoe, Sunday Business Post
Commentator of the Year
Lara Marlowe, The Irish Times
Mary Ellen Synon, Irish Daily Mail
Dearbhail McDonald, Irish Independent
Dermot Bolger, Irish Daily Mail
Columnist of the Year
Michael Harding, The Irish Times
Paddy Murray, Sunday World
Fr Brian Darcy, Sunday World
Justine McCarthy, The Sunday Times
Feature Writer of the Year
Conor Lally, The Irish Times
Kathy Sheridan, The Irish Times
Philip Nolan, Irish Daily Mail
Eimear Ni Bhraonain, Irish Independent
Gemma O’Doherty, Irish Independent
Catherine Fegan, Irish Daily Mail
Young Journalist
Orla Tinsley, The Irish Times
Jennifer Bray, Irish Daily Mail
Niall O’Connor, Evening Herald
Adelina Campos, Irish Sunday Mirror
David Sneyd, Irish Mail on Sunday
Sarah Bardon, Irish Daily Mirror
Newspapers in Education
People Newspapers — TY People
Irish Independent — Titanic Supplement
Headline of the Year
The Sunday Times — “Honey We Blew up the Kids”
The Irish Sun — “Trunk and Disorderly”
Irish Daily Star — “7 Hours and 15 Days”
Irish Daily Star — “Tiocfaidh Ar Lamh”
Sports Reporter of the Year
Malachy Clerkin, The Irish Times
Dion Fanning, Sunday Independent
Martin Breheny, Irish Independent
Kieran Cunningham, Irish Daily Star
Ewan MacKenna, Irish Examiner
Philip Quinn, Irish Daily Mail
Sports Columnist of the Year
Keith Duggan, The Irish Times
Neil Francis, Sunday Independent
Eamonn Sweeney, Sunday Independent
Dion Fanning, Sunday Independent
Roy Curtis, Sunday World
Showbiz Journalist of the Year
Niamh Walsh, Irish Mail on Sunday
Alana Fearon, Irish Daily Mirror
Eoin Murphy, Irish Mail on Sunday
Alexandra Ryan, Irish Mail on Sunday
Best Design & Presentation
The Irish Times (The Ticket)
Sunday World
Irish Daily Mail
