Entries now open for the Regional Press Awards

The Regional Press Awards are now open for entries. So please dig out your best work from 2010, get your entries in and give the awards your full support. The entry fee has been reduced to £25 and any profit this year will go to the Journalists Charity. The details of how to enter can be found at www.regionalpressawards.org.uk. There has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, particularly by Bob Satchwell, to make sure the awards have been resurrected after being 'rested' last year. It's great news that they are going ahead and even better that they are now being run by the industry itself ... by the  the Society of Editors and the Newspaper Society.  If the industry doesn't celebrate the excellence that runs through its newspapers and applaud the journalists who go that extra yard every day, who will? I was particularly uncomfortable, when the awards were cancelled, with the suggestion that we should just applaud excellence during the good times. Those who work hard to maintain standards when the going gets tough deserve to be honoured. I am also delighted to have been asked to be chairman of the judges again. I will be contacting the illustrious and independent band who all give their time freely in the next few days. Now we have the awards back, let's make sure they are a success and that we don't lose them again. So please dust down your best articles, graphics, photographs, designs, supplements and newspapers from 2010, get your entries in and allow us to celebrate the very best in regional newspaper journalism.