CIPR Northern Ireland toasts best-in-class as the NI Media Awards returns

Northern Ireland’s media scene was a buzz on Friday evening as the CIPR NI Media Awards returned after a 8 year hiatus.

 In partnership with Ulster Bank, The Northern Ireland Media Awards, a prestigious celebration of journalistic talent and excellence, honours outstanding contributions across various media platforms.

 The Awards, organised by the Northern Ireland group of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), recognises the crucial role journalists play in informing, engaging, and shaping public discourse. With a record number of submissions this year, the competition was strong, showcasing the exceptional quality of journalism in the region.

 Hosted by comedians Diona Doherty and Sean Hegarty, the evening saw over 80 shortlisted entries in categories including Media Outlet of the Year, Journalist of the Year, Best Piece of Journalism, Student Journalist of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year, amongst others.

 Commenting on the awards evening, Joint Chairs of the CIPR Northern Ireland group, Brittany Breslin and Sam Livingstone said:

 “These awards celebrate the strength of our local media and this year’s standard of entries reflected just that. The entries were exceptional and made judging extremely tough.

 “CIPR Northern Ireland is pleased to have brought these awards back after an eight year break and they have once again given us an opportunity to show journalists that we value their work and contribution to Northern Ireland life. 

 “We would like to congratulate all winners and commend those shortlisted on their success. We would also like to thank our title sponsors Ulster Bank for their support and other numerous category sponsors; plus the time taken by our panel of judges from across UK & Ireland to cast their critical eye on the submissions and the committee of volunteers at CIPR Northern Ireland.”

 Terry Robb, Head of Personal Banking at main sponsor Ulster Bank also congratulated the winners and commended all of the media professionals who work and report in Northern Ireland.

 “We all rely on the media industry to keep us informed and better connected with the communities in which we work. Journalism shines a light on issues that matter to people right across Northern Ireland and it is clear from attending tonight’s awards that we are fortunate to have so many talented journalists and media professionals working in this sector.

 “It is crucial that we all continue to reward the work of journalists, particularly at a time when this important work is under pressure. In light of this, it was an honour for Ulster Bank to support these awards and give the media the recognition they so richly deserve.”

 The NI Media Awards, in partnership with Ulster Bank, were sponsored by Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, Hinch Distillery, JComms, NI Electricity Networks, Ulster University, Further Education NI, SD Create, Rumour Mill Communications, NIMMS, Impact Communications, Morrow Communications, LK Communications, GymCo, NakedPR, Ruffles, Brown O’Connor Communications and RNN Communications. Photography was kindly sponsored by PressEye, and charity funds were raised for Northern Ireland Hospice and NUJ Extra, the benevolent fund of the National Union of Journalists.