The shortlists were announced today for the London Press Club Awards 2024 and the Cudlipp Award.
Chair of the judges, broadcaster Nick Ferrari said: “Given the seismic events both at home and abroad over the past 12 months, it was fair to hope for a good crop of entries for the awards – but it turned out to be exceptional. Great news for journalism, hard graft for the judges.”
The winners will be announced at the London Press Club Awards lunch on Wednesday 16 October at Stationers’ Hall near St Paul’s Cathedral. Early bird booking discount available until Friday 20 September.
Shortlisted for National Newspaper of the Year 2023-24 are:
- The Evening Standard
- The Mail and MailOnline
- The Sun
- The Times
Shortlisted for Sunday Newspaper of the Year 2023-34 are:
- The FT Weekend edition
- The Observer
- The Sunday Times
The judges assessed key criteria including journalistic impact, investigative excellence, increasing digital innovation, public service, and overall contribution to public discourse. The judges said those shortlisted for Daily and Sunday newspapers of the year consistently demonstrated leadership in these areas.
Cudlipp Award shortlist
The shortlist for the Cudlipp Award that recognises campaigning zeal and investigative skill and is named after the late Lord Hugh Cudlipp, the former editorial director of the Daily Mirror, one of the pioneers of 20th Century popular tabloid journalism, and a past President of the London Press Club.
The shortlist for the Cudlipp Award is:
- Cash for care (Daily Mail) An important investigation into an abuse of the care system in which rogue fixers charge unqualified migrants large sums for visas for care jobs, exploiting Home Office loopholes.
- Court Correspondent Tristan Kirk (Evening Standard) Powerful work shining a light on the notorious Single Justice Procedure system under which millions were prosecuted and criminalised with no public scrutiny at all.
- Children’s dental health crisis (Daily Mirror) A shocking expose of the state of our children’s teeth, where premature decay is rife across the nation.
- ‘Show Respect’ campaign (Evening Standard) Detailed reportage exploring the misogynistic attitudes of teenage boys, which, it is claimed, are contributing to an epidemic of violence against women.
- Chief constable’s fake war record (The Sun) Powerful public interest journalism holding a major public official to account, leading to his downfall.
- Inside Bedford Prison (The Times). Courageous public interest journalism in which investigative reporter Paul Morgan-Bentley gets a job in one of Britain’s most violent jails, exposing poor conditions and lax security.
Bill Hagerty, former editor, now chairman emeritus of British Journalism Review and London Press Club director, said: “Once again the submissions for the Hugh Cudlipp Award struck an overall high standard, as the judges unanimously agreed. It may have been a tough year for many papers but the ability to get to the heart of important and difficult issues is as strong as ever.”
Shortlisted for other categories are:
Journalist of the Year
- Jacob Dirnhuber, MailOnline; a life-long disability prevents him working as an on the road reporter but using only his ingenuity and the internet he was able to track down three international fugitives from justice.
- Scarlet Howes, The Sun, who doggedly pursued the Huw Edwards story, gathered evidence that helped convict oil protesters and revealed allegations about behaviour towards Strictly Come Dancing contestants.
- Tristan Kirk, Evening Standard Court Correspondent, who highlighted the single justice conveyor belt system that saw vulnerable people tried without any public scrutiny. Children, parents and businesses had their convictions overturned as a result of his work.
- Richard Pendlebury, Daily Mail, with a distinguished track record as a foreign correspondent who this year produced harrowing reports from Gaza and the frontline in Ukraine.
Business Journalist of the Year
- Jim Armitage, The Sunday Times Business Editor, leads one of the top teams in business journalism with many scoops and in-depth coverage.
- Ed Conway, Economics and Data editor Sky News, with his extraordinary series to investigate and expose sanctions loopholes employed by some UK and international companies to bolster Putin’s war chest.
- Szu Ping Chan, The Telegraph City Page, with a scoop that Chancellor Rachel Reeves was preparing to reveal the multi-billion pound ‘black hole’ left by the Tories, and outstanding coverage on the inner workings of the Treasury.
- Lucca de Paoli, Bloomberg, often uses court filings and documents in Companies House to get under the complex financial web of companies in distress.
Broadcaster of the Year
- Mishal Husain, at the heart of the BBC’s election coverage on the Today programme and moderating the head-to-head Prime Ministerial TV debate and the seven party debate.
- Secunder Kermani, Foreign Affairs Correspondent of Channel Four News with on the ground reporting on every aspect of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
- Stuart Ramsay, Sky News Chief Corespondent, for international coverage with exclusive reports from Haiti on the takeover of the capital by violent gangs.
- Nick Wallis, freelance journalist, who provided first comprehensive broadcast coverage of the Post Office Horizon Scandal while at BBC Radio Surrey and continued to provide analysis on various outlets.
Political Journalist of the Year – The Lord Salisbury Award with prize of £1,500
- Jack Elsom, Chief Political Correspondent, The Sun
- Beth Rigby, Political Editor, Sky News
- Tim Shipman, Chief Political Commentator of the Sunday Times and The Times
- Chris Mason, Political Editor, BBC News
Scoop of the Year
- Mail Online for its detective work tracking down Tommy Robinson to a hotel in Cyprus from where he was allegedly using social media to whip-up far-right riots.
- The Times for the story of the MP who allegedly used £14,000 of party donor’s money to pay his personal bills.
- The Sun, for its 18-month investigation into the BBC’s highest profile presenter Huw Edwards.
- The Times, Sunday Times and Channel Four for revelations from women accusing Russell Brand of rape, assault and emotional abuse – allegations he strongly denied.
Sport Journalist of the Year
In a year packed with compelling sporting events both domestically and internationally the judges said entries showed British sports writing is something we can be extremely proud of.
The shortlist is:
- Oliver Brown, the chief sports writer of the Daily Telegraph, for incisive writing on complex wider issues of our society.
- David Ornstein, football correspondent of The Athletic, showing an ability to break and analyse stories.
- Jonathan Wilson’s writing in the Guardian and Observer on football demonstrating an ability to evaluate changes transforming the national game.
- Miriam Walker-Khan, diversity and inclusion reporter at Sky Sports News, for remarkable coverage beyond sound bites with real analysis
Multi-media Journalist of the Year
- Aggie Chambre, LBC: This versatile journalist has been rapidly building a reputation for breaking political stories, including about sexual misconduct and bullying, most notably the Westminster “honey trap” scandal.
- Yousra Elbagir, Sky News: The Africa correspondent of Sky News has proven to be an intrepid and digitally-savvy journalist with her reporting on the ground from Sudan, Kenya and Senegal.
- Dominic Nicholls, Telegraph: The long-time defence expert has become a key voice and contributor to the Telegraph’s Ukraine Latest daily podcast which has amassed close to 100m listens since the start of the war.
- Matt Wilkinson, The Sun: The royal editor of Britain’s biggest red-top has demonstrated his multi-media skills by launching a new studio show, The Royal Exclusive.
Young Journalist of the Year with prize of £1,000 donated by The Journalists’ Charity
- Joe Bromley, Evening Standard Junior Fashion Editor
- Sophie Huskisson, Political Correspondent The Daily Mirror
- Eirian Prosser, reporter MailOnline
- Katie Tarrant, reporter Sunday Times
Bookings are now open to attend the Press Club Awards Lunch on Wednesday, 16 October at Stationers’ Hall, near St Paul’s Cathedral.
Tickets cost:
Table of 10: £2000 if booked before Sept 20, £2250 thereafter
Individual: £250 if booked before Sept 20, £275 thereafter
Press Club Member: £225 if booked before Sept 20, £250 thereafter (maximum two tickets per member)
To book, email info@londonpressclub.co.uk.
