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Winners announced for the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards 2017

July, 2017

Print, broadcast and digital journalists, as well as photographers and designers, were recognised in 14 categories at this year’s Kent Press & Broadcast Awards ceremony.

Organised by Kent PR agency Maxim, the awards scheme culminated in a celebratory event held at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury on Friday, July 14.

This year the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards (KPBA) ceremony was hosted by award-winning television and radio broadcaster, writer and journalist Gavin Esler who spoke about fake news and the value of quality journalism saying: “Trust in local press is now more important than ever”.

Maxim’s Rachel Knight said: “We feel it is important to recognise how hard the local media work, especially with the demand to produce so many different types of content, generally with fewer resources, increasing year-on-year. We had 129 entries this year, many of them from multimedia journalists who are asked to produce audio, film, images, social media posts, not to mention copy appropriate for print and online.

“This was the third awards ceremony and as we’ve had such positive feedback, we hope to do it all again next year. However, the scheme wouldn’t be possible without the 14 organisations that support the awards so we are extremely grateful to them, many of which were supporting KPBA for the third year running.” 

The Kent Press & Broadcast Awards entries are judged by an expert panel consisting of: Susie Boniface, a national journalist known as Fleet Street Fox; PA photographer Gareth Fuller; sports journalist and lecturer Paul Majendie; digital consultant Patrick Fuller; journalist and lecturer Dr Sarah Lonsdale; and award-winning TV producer Martyn Gregory.

Photographs of the ceremony can be seen on the KPBA website, together with a short highlights film produced by sponsor Digitom.

The full results are as follows:

Best Use of Social Media, sponsored by Eurotunnel

Winner: David Gazet, Kent Messenger/KentOnline 
Highly commended: Luke May, Kentish Times

Finalists:
KMTV
Kent Live (West)

Kent Broadcast Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Barretts Motor Group

Winner:  Colin Campbell, BBC South East
Highly commended: Josie Hannett, KMTV/KentOnline

Finalists: 
Alex Bish & Matt Davison, BBC Radio Kent
Abigail Bracken, ITV Meridian

Campaign of the Year, sponsored by Shepherd Neame

Winner: Dover Express – Kelly Turner
Highly commended: Folkestone Herald – Leas Lift

Finalists:
Gravesend/Dartford Messenger – Parents’ Consortium
Kent on Sunday – Blood contamination

Kent Columnist of the Year, sponsored by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

Winner: Nikki White, Medway Messenger
Highly commended: Alex Claridge (Harry Bell), Kentish Gazette Series

Finalists:
Ed McConnell, Kent Messenger
Tom Acres, Dartford/Gravesend Messenger

Kent Digital Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Arriva Southern Counties

Winner: Kathy Bailes, The Isle of Thanet News
Highly commended: David Gazet, Kent Messenger

Finalists:
Aidan Barlow, KentOnline
Lauren MacDougall, Kent & Sussex Courier/Kent Live

Kent Feature Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Saga

Winner: Samuel Supple, BBC South East Today & Inside Out
Higly commended: John Nurden, Sheerness Times Guardian

Finalists:
Colin Campbell, BBC South East
Derek Johnson, ITV Meridian

Kent Magazine Design(er) of the Year, sponsored by Whitehead Monckton

Winner: ‘Cene
Highly commended: Samantha Barton, Kent Life

Finalist:
insideKENT

Kent Magazine of the Year, sponsored by Digitom

Winner: Isle Magazine
Highly commended: insideKENT

Finalists:
‘Cene
Bygone Kent

Kent Newspaper Design(er) of the Year, sponsored by ifour

Winner: Ashley Austen, KM Media Group
Highly commended: Debbie Neech, KM Media Group

Finalists:
Matthew Panting, KM Media Group
Steve Crancher, Kent & Sussex Courier

Kent Newspaper of the Year, sponsored by Southeastern

Winner:  Dartford Messenger & Gravesend Messenger

Finalists:  
Kent & Sussex Courier
Kentish Gazette

Kent Press Photographer of the Year, sponsored by FSB Kent & Medway

Winner: Andy Jones, KM Media Group
Highly commended: Matthew Walker, KM Media Group/freelance

Finalists:  
Gary Browne, Kent Messenger/KentOnline
Andrew Payton, KM Media Group

Kent Print Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Benenden Hospital

Winner: David Gazet, Kent Messenger
Highly commended: Tom Acres, Dartford Messenger & Gravesend Messenger

Finalists:  
Joe Walker, Kentish Gazette
Clare Freeman, Medway Messenger

Kent Sports Journalist of the Year, supported by Kent Cricket

Winner:  Neil Bell, BBC South East
Highly commended: Matthew Panting, KM Media Group

Finalists:  
Ben Watts, BBC Radio Kent
Luke Cawdell, Medway Messenger

Kent Young Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Port of Dover

Winner: Josie Hannett, KMTV/KentOnline
Highly commended: Amy Nickalls, Folkestone Herald/Kent Live

Finalists:  
Jade Edwards, Medway Messenger
Poppy Jeffery, Sittingbourne News Extra/Sheerness Times Guardian

For more information visit www.kpbawards.co.uk.

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