At the awards ceremony in London yesterday, where Reach also received seven Highly Commended nominations, the Liverpool Echo scooped three awards including Large Newsbrand of the Year. It also won Best Live Coverage for its focus on the riots in Southport, and Specialist Journalist of the Year for political editor Liam Thorp.

Elsewhere, there were two awards for Birmingham Live – the Reporting Communities award and Digital Initiative of the Year alongside Reach’s data unit, focusing on their campaign demanding better quality of life for children living in poverty in the city. Birmingham Live was also Highly Commended for Newsbrand of the Year.

Campaign of the Year went to the Derby Telegraph/Derbyshire Live for its battle to save the city’s rail industry. In April 2024, the title called on the government to do all in its power to save Derby’s 185-year-old rail manufacturing industry amid job cut fears. Later in 2024, manufacturer Alstom signed a £370m deal, saving train making in Derby.

Scoop of the Year was won by Wales Online, who exposed in February 2024 that Vaughan Gething, at the time in the running to be Welsh First Minister, took an ‘eye-wateringly large’ £200,000 donation from a company who put in an application to build a huge solar farm which would have needed Welsh government permission.

The Western Mail won Front Page of the Year for its splash on the closure of the Port Talbot steelworks, with the emotive headline ‘Last Breath’.

James Holt of the Manchester Evening News won Young Journalist of the Year, which also saw Ben Roberts-Haslam of the Liverpool Echo highly commended.

Paul Rowland, Editorial Director of Reach’s Live Network, said: “It was a fantastic day for Reach at the 2025 Regional Press Awards yesterday. I am so proud that we walked away with almost half the awards on offer and a further seven highly commended accolades for our newsbrands, campaigns, scoops and reporters. 

“These awards are the embodiment of the hard work by our talented teams who are dedicated to regional journalism and making a difference to communities every day.”

Reach Award Winners and Highly Commended

Large Newsbrand of the Year
Winner – Liverpool Echo
Highly commended – BirminghamLive

Best live coverage
Winner – Liverpool Echo
Highly commended – Manchester Evening News

Campaign of the Year
Winner – Derbyshire Live & Derbyshire Telegraph – Save our rail industry 

Digital Initiative of the Year
Winner – Reach Data Unit

Front Page of the Year
Winner – Western Mail – Last breath

Reporting Communities award
Winner – BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail

Scoop of the year
Winner – WalesOnline – Company which donated £200,000 to Vaughan Gething’s First Minister bid wants to build huge solar farm

Supplement of the Year
Highly commended – Western Mail

Young Journalist of the Year
Winner – James Holt, Manchester Evening News
Highly commended – Ben Roberts-Haslam, Liverpool Echo

Specialist Journalist of the Year
Winner – Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo
Highly commended – Conor Gogarty, WalesOnline

Crime & Investigative Reporter of the Year
Highly commended – Will Hayward, WalesOnline

Reporter of the Year (Daily)
Highly commended – Liam Thorp, Liverpool Echo