18/01/2007

For the second year running, the Shetland Times has been voted Newspaper of the Year in the Highlands and Islands - meaning, once again, editor, Jonathan Lee, will be picking up a cheque for £500, to donate to his newspaper's favourite charity, at the forthcoming Highlands and Islands Press Ball.

Once again, the most northerly local newspaper in the UK caught the eye of the judges of the Highlands and Islands Media Awards, who commended it for its "excellent all-round coverage of news and sport and, in particular, of its reporting of the successful campaign to persuade immigration officials to return local athlete, Sakchai Makao, to the island after he was arrested without warning on immigration charges."

Shetland Times reporter, Rosalind Griffiths, made it a double for the paper by being chosen Local Newspaper Reporter of the Year, pipping Hector MacKenzie, editor of the Ross-shire Journal, who was highly commended.

The Northern Scot, based in Elgin, also recorded a double success. Bryan McKellar won the Young Journalist of the Year Award, lifting the Alex Main Trophy, and Eric Cormack is again Local Newspaper Photographer of the Year.

The Community Newspaper of the Year is Ileach, based in Islay.

Reporter of the Year and first winner of the Jim Love Memorial Trophy is Moira Kerr of the Press and Journal, "who submitted three top notch exclusive stories". Gavin Musgrove, editor of the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald was highly commended. The family of the former editor of the Inverness Courier donated the trophy after Jim died in the summer of last year.

Feature Writer of the Year is Lynne Kennedy, of the West Highland Free Press, and highly commended is Val Sweeney, of the Inverness Courier.

Sports Writer of the Year is Orkney-based David Flanagan, while highly commended is Eric
MacKinnon, of the Hebridean.

Photographer of the Year is Ewen Weatherspoon, a freelance photographer from Inverness. Highly commended is Willie Urquhart of the West Highland Free Press.

Bryan Henesey, of the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald, was highly commended in the Young
Journalist of the Year Award and Phil Downie, an Inverness-based freelance photographer, was
highly commended in the Local Photographer of the Year Award.

The Ball is taking place in Nairn, on the second of next month.