feedback

Join Us!

Click here for the many benefits of Guild membership and to find out how to join.

 

Stuart Seaton Regional Newspaper Award

Framed certificates to the regional newspaper and farming/rural affairs correspondent judged to provide coverage of farming issues to a consistently high standard.

Although coverage of farming issues in regional newspapers is much less widespread than it used to be, those publications that do still have a regular column, section or supplement dedicated to these subjects have an important role informing the general public as well as those who live and work in land-based industries.

This award celebrates consistent, high-quality coverage of farming for a regional audience. It was established in memory of Stuart Seaton, founding editor of Farmers Guardian (once a regional newspaper but now a national weekly), and is supported by his family. Stuart Seaton’s daughter, Val Chapman, works as Associate Editor of a group of national magazine titles and is one of the judges for the award.

The award is open to all regional newspapers and farming/rural affairs correspondents, whether members of the Guild or not. Entries can be made by the correspondent or by the newspaper’s editor on their behalf.

Deadline for entries: February 24, 2012.

Download an entry form here.

Winners

2010

Guild member Peter Hall was the delighted recipient of a certificate naming him regional farming/rural affairs correspondent of 2010.

Lord Cameron + Peter Hall

Peter (above right), who received his award from Guild president Lord Cameron of Dillington at the annual meeting, has a regular Farming section in the Western Morning News covering south-west England. He was praised by the judges of the Guild’s Stuart Seation regional journalism award for his ability to understand and communicate a wide range of subject matter relevant not just to agriculture but also other rural industries and concerns.

“His strong editorship ensures the whole publication is strong on content, while retaining an open and approachable style,” said the judges of his work. “Peter’s style and knowledgeable reporting should endear his writing to a large cross-section of WMN readers and convey valuable information.”

The Western Morning News, which is awarded the title Regional Farming Newspaper of the Year 2010 for its consistently high standard of agricultural and rural affairs content, covers a region with a strong sense of identity and where farming remains a significant player within the local economy.

The award was judged by Guild chairman Adrian Bell and fellow Guild member Susie Moore.

In October 2010, Peter took over as Farming Editor of Western Daily Press, following the retirement of Chris Rundle, in addition to his existing role.

“Which means,” explained Peter, “that I'm putting together different 6-page and 8-page farming sections for the two newspapers covering an area that extends from Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire to Lands End!"

2009

The Guild's Stuart Seaton Award for regional papers and their agricultural / rural journalists was presented at the AgriLIVE Smithfield event.

The award was open to non-members of the Guild for the frst time to give regional correspondents the opportunity to taste one of the benefits of Guild membership first hand.

The judges were unanimous in their selection of the Aberdeen-based Press & Journal newspaper and Guild member Joe Watson, its agricultural editor, as the 2009 winners.

The submissions for the award highlighted the Press & Journal's commitment to coverage of farming and rural affairs in a publication that is read throughout northern Scotland. The judges described the farming pages as being of a very high, consistent quality and a cut above the other entries.

Joe Watson receives the publication and journalist award certificates from Stuart Seaton's daughter Val Chapman.

Of Joe's content, the judges said: "His entry demonstrated originality and depth of thought, which added real value for the paper’s readers as well as helping to interest and inform those outside the agricultural industry.

"Joe is an outstanding writer, presenting facts clearly and in an interesting way, while focusing on what is relevant to his paper’s readership. In doing so, he enables his paper to rightly justify its reputation as an authoritative farming voice in its region."

The runner-up for the regional publication award was the Western Morning News and its farming editor Peter Hall, whom the judges said provided an authoritative package in empathy with his paper’s West Country readers’ interests.

There was a good entry for the 2009 award, which was ably judged by Guild president Margaret, Countess of Mar; former Farmers Weekly editor Stephen Howe; and Stuart Seaton’s daughter, Val Chapman, previously of Farmers Guardian and now publisher of Out & About magazines.

2008

The strong entry for this renewed award, which celebrates coverage of agricultural and rural topics in regional newspapers, included the majority of Guild members working as regional journalists.

It gave the judges - Guild president the Countess of Mar; Stuart Seaton's daughter and former Farmers Guardian journalist, Val Chapman; and past Guild chairman Arthur Anderson - a particularly challenging task.

However, they chose as their winner the recently retired agricultural editor of the Yorkshire Post, Bob Benson, whose work was described as "having a general crispness of style that kept his stories moving along and covered a wide range of topics aimed at a wide audience".

Andrew Vine, head of content, received a certificate declaring the Yorkshire Post as the Guild’s Regional Newspaper of the Year for its sustained high-quality coverage of agriculture and rural affairs.

Guild president Margaret, Countess of Mar, presented the regional journalist and regional newspaper of the year awards to Robert Benson (centre) and Andrew Vine of the Yorkshire Post. Photo: Jonathan Page

Several entrants were singled out for high praise, including runner-up, Joe Watson of the Press & Journal, whose coverage was described as "easy to read, crisp and leaves you hungry for more".

Others praised for their work were Steve Dubé of the Western Mail; Mike Bridgen of the Darlington & Stockton Times, Alasdair Crosby of the Jersey Evening Post and Heather Jones of The Farmer published by Shropshire Newspapers.

Website by Website Development Ltd