A number of AgriLand journalist have been shortlisted for the 2018 Guild of Agricultural Journalism Awards.
Held every two years, the awards aim to encourage excellence in the coverage of farming, food and rural life on the island of Ireland.
The shortlist of 28 entries was selected by an independent judging panel of industry and media experts. The panel was chaired by the chief executive of the National Dairy Council (NDC), Zoe Kavanagh.
More than 200 submissions across nine categories were received, touching on topics as diverse as the impact of Brexit and extreme weather to features on veganism and hidden homelessness.
- Targeted Communications: A slurry tragedy – One year on, AgriLand team;
- Online: Your past should not limit your future, Claire Mc Cormack;
- Online: Fertiliser focus – Holding on to the country’s derogation, Siobhán Walsh;
- Best coverage of a Guild event: Conacre not to blame for all of NI’s fertility issues, Rachel Martin.
Commenting on the shortlist, Kavanagh said: “The judging panel was really impressed with the quality and breadth of reporting displayed across the categories this year.
“From breaking news items and well-researched investigative reports right through to human interest features, the applications demonstrated the wealth of talent that we have here in Ireland working in ag-media.
“Noticeably, there was a huge uplift in the digital category, which reflects the changing landscape of media in Ireland.”
Following the category winner announcements, the overall award – ‘The Bull’ Bronze Trophy plus a cash prize – will be presented to the category winner deemed to be of exceptional merit by the adjudicating panel.
Concluding, the chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, Ciara Leahy, said: “Our awards continue to get bigger each year, leading to healthy competition within the industry.
“The quality of content this year has been extremely impressive and I know in the coming days, there will be much talk of the shortlisted journalists and communicators, and who will win the impressive ‘Bull’ – the coveted overall prize.”