LOCAL AWARDS Local Ireland President Declan McGuire, Chair of the Judging Panel Áine Kerr and Lottery CEO Andrew Algeo. Pic: Mac Innes Photography
The Mayo News have earned four nominations for this year’s Local Ireland Media Awards, announced on Friday last.
The paper has been shortlisted in the following categories: Best News Series, Best Use of Photography, Columnist of the Year, and Best Supplement.
The prestigious awards, sponsored by the National Lottery, celebrate excellence in local journalism and the regional news publishing industry.
“We are delighted to have had more than 600 entries this year, which is a record,” said President of Local Ireland Declan McGuire.
“It reflects the huge popularity of the awards and the intense competition to get a nomination. We are grateful to the National Lottery for their continued support and I want to thank all our judges for their time in considering so many entries,” added McGuire.
National Lottery CEO Andrew Algeo said they are ‘so proud of our long-standing partnership with the Local Ireland Media Awards’.
“We are especially looking forward to this year’s in-person event, which will allow us to celebrate the impact that local media has on the communities that they serve.”
The Mayo News is one of 24 local and regional newspapers nominated across 15 categories. In Best News Series, the paper was shortlisted for our coverage of challenges at Mayo University Hospital. Karen Cox’s photographs with centenarian Jim McManamon from Skirdagh, Newport under the headline ‘Bearing Witness to the War of Independence’ were shortlisted in Best Use of Photography.
This is the first year there has been a Columnist of the Year category and our columnist Dr John Bradley has been nominated for his compelling Notes from the Western Periphery.
The paper’s War of Independence coverage was shortlisted also, with our 48 page War of Independence supplement in the running for Best Supplement.
The judging panel for the awards is chaired by entrepreneur and broadcaster Áine Kerr. She is joined by author and broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald, Emeritus Professor at TUD Michael Foley, Dawn Wheatley of DCU School of Communications, Managing Director of Kinetic Ireland Andrew Sinclair, photographer and former Irish Times Picture Editor Frank Miller, broadcaster and writer Valerie Cox, and journalist and author PJ Cunningham.
This year’s awards will be held at the Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar on Thursday, October 13. Master of ceremonies will be sports broadcaster Marty Morrissey.