'Irish Times' journalists among 77 shortlisted for newspaper awards

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