News

Britain’s top young journalists named in 30 To Watch awards

MHP celebrates the best in print, broadcast and online journalism at leading industry event. The UK’s most talented and influential young journalists were honoured at an event which celebrated the new generation of print, broadcast and online rising stars.

Specialists in investigative reporting, culture, business and agenda-setting political scoops were among the 30 young journalists named as Britain’s best at the 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards. Click on the brochure below for a comprehensive guide to this year’s awards and winners.

30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards 2018

(PDF 15.62 MB)

Now in their seventh year, these awards recognise the best upcoming talent in the news media. Last night’s winners were selected from a record-breaking 400 entries from over 90 different titles.

Jay Rayner, the food journalist and critic, presented trophies to the 30 winners who come from media outlets ranging from Buzzfeed, VICE and Sky News to Professional Pensions, the BBC and The Daily Telegraph.

Watch highlights from the awards

The judges – led by senior journalists from leading titles including ITV News, CNN and the Daily Mail – selected the winners based on criteria which reflected a mix of traditional journalistic skills and digital expertise. The qualities the judges looked for included persistence, ingenuity, securing exclusives and using social media as a source and channel for stories.

The entries which caught the judges’ attention included revelations on the Guido Fawkes political website about MPs on the whips’ secret misconduct list; an exclusive interview in the Daily Mail with former Chelsea player Diego Costa and coverage in The Daily Telegraph of the 2017 General Election via Snapchat.

The judges included Camilla Mankabady, programme editor ITV News; Peter Campbell: Financial Times motor industry correspondent and former 30 To Watch gold winner; Roger Alton, Contributing Editor, the Daily Mail; David Ford, Executive Producer CNN London; Jo Willey, freelance health reporter; and Aisha Gani, freelance reporter and former 30 To Watch winner.

THE WINNERS

The eight gold winners in the different categories are:

News: Adam Crafton (Daily Mail)
Politics: Alex Wickham (Guido Fawkes)
Health: Patrick Russell (ITV News)
Lifestyle: Tolani Shoneye (Freelance/ Buzzfeed)
Campaigns: Natasha Preskey (Freelance/ Vice.com)
Financial: William Turvill (Mail on Sunday)
Business/Specialist Trade: James Phillips (Professional Pensions)
Innovation: McKenna Grant (Telegraph Snapchat)