Press awards to return for first time in three years

The National Lottery is to sponsor the newspaper journalism awards which are returning for the first time in three years.

The awards are run by NewsBrands Ireland, formerly National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI), which is the representative body for all national newspapers in print and online.

The last awards were in 2013 and attracted 800 entries, with Kitty Holland of The Irish Times winning journalist of the year for breaking the story of Savita Halappanavar.

25 categories

The 2016 awards feature 25 categories spanning news, analysis, opinion, features, business, politics and crime. A category for digital innovation will reflect the increasing move to digital among national newspapers.

The judging panel will be chaired by Prof John Horgan, former Press Ombudsman of Ireland.

The 2013 awards attracted 800 entries. NewsBrands Ireland chairman Vincent Crowley said he expected the entries for 2016 to surpass that number.

“Original content is what sets the newspaper apart from all other media and it is appropriate that we have a forum through which to honour and celebrate the journalists who create that content,” he said.

Premier Lotteries Ireland chief executive Dermot Griffin said the company, which operates the National Lottery, was proud to be associated with this "wonderful showcase of original Irish journalism".

The eligibility period for this year’s NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards is from January 1st, 2015, to June 30th, 2016, and the awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 3rd, 2016. See journalismawards.ie