Highland News and Media journalists celebrate success at the Highlands and Islands Press Ball and Media Awards
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Journalists from Highland News and Media (HNM) enjoyed success at tonight's Highlands and Islands Press Ball and Media Awards.
The hugely popular annual media industry event showcased the region's finest talent with 14 of our writers, photographers and teams nominated in different categories.
Around 250 media representatives, politicians and heads of public and private organisations attended the glittering event at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness.
The Inverness Courier won Website of the Year, seeing off the challenge of Shetland News Online and welovestornoway.com.
HNM's Iona MacDonald, who is 17, triumphed as Young Reporter of the Year, taking the coveted Alex Main Trophy ahead of fellow nominees Annabelle Gauntlett of HNM and Chloe Irvine of the Shetland Times.
Iona's work featured an Ullapool family's mental health struggle in the wake of a devastating care home closure and an exposé on illegal sales of vapes to under-age people in Inverness.
Iona was also shortlisted for Environment and Sustainability Writer of the Year.
Ewan Malcolm of the Northern Scot won business writer of the year for his insightful work, pipping the Press & Journal's David Mackay and freelance Peter Ranscombe.
The Northern Scot's Beth Taylor was named Photographer of the Year, with HNM's Callum Mackay and the Northern Scot's Daniel Forsyth runners up.
The BBC's Iain MacInnes won the Diageo Journalist of the Year prize and the Jim Love Memorial Trophy for Reporter of the Year.
HNM's Craig Christie and Andrew Henderson were shortlisted for the Bill McAllister Sports Writer of the Year award which went to Eric Mackinnon of the Stornoway Gazette.
Val Sweeney of HNM was shortlisted for Reporter of the Year, while the Inverness Courier also earned a shortlisting for Campaign of the Year.
A prestigious lifetime service achievement award, the Barron Trophy, was presented to Gordon Fyfe in recognition of a media career spanning more than 50 years.
Gordon (70) spent 20 years as a reporter on local newspapers in Inverness and 24 years as a media officer with The Highland Council and Highland Regional Council.
He recently stood down after a 32-year stint as chairman of the judging panel for the Highlands and Islands Media Awards.
The Barron Trophy was donated by the late Evan Barron, editor/owner of the Inverness Courier, in 1950 to recognise the excellence of a local journalist 'at work and play'. It is now awarded to recognise long and distinguished service in the media industry.
