Greg Dykes to Host Yorkshire Bank's Northern Journalist of the Year Awards

12/11/07

To be held at new Leeds venue 'Aspire' on 22 November, the broadcaster will present the awards to journalists in each of the eight categories. Winners of the two team categories will be presented with a trophy, while each individual winner will receive £1,000 and a trophy.

This year sees the widening of the awards categories to include non business journalists. As well as awards for the Business Media Team of the Year and Business Journalist of the Year, new categories for 2007 include accolades for the Newspaper of the Year and Print Journalist of the Year.This is the sixth year Yorkshire Bank has sponsored the awards, which is among the most prestigious of its kind in the country. The full category list is:

•  Newspaper of the Year
•  Business Media Team of the Year
•  Business Journalist of the Year
•  Print Journalist of the Year
•  Broadcast Journalist of the Year
•  Young Journalist of the Year 
•  Feature Writer of the Year
•  Business Issues Story/Campaign of the Year

Before the awards, Mr Dyke will give an insight into the world of journalism, including observations of his own experiences and achievements.

The awards aim to recognise the achievements of print and broadcast journalists based between the Trent and the Scottish borders.

The judges for the awards are:

•  Richard Gregory, chair of Yorkshire Bank
•  Mike Ward, Head of Journalism, University of Central Lancashire
   Commerce
•  Maggie Pavlou, President, North East Chamber of Commerce
•  Andrew Palmer, Deputy Regional Director, Confederation of British Industry
•  Bob Lefroy, Editor, Business Money magazine

Barry Gardner, Head of External Affairs for Yorkshire Bank, said: "Having a journalist of Greg Dyke's calibre reflects the importance of the awards and the standing this event has achieved over the years.

"The Northern Journalist Awards recognise the importance of regional media to businesses like ours. This is the sixth year that Yorkshire Bank has supported the awards and it represents a fantastic opportunity to bring the North's finest journalists together to celebrate excellence."