NOMINATIONS for this year’s Local Ireland Media Awards have been announced, with the Donegal News nominated for three awards.

The categories in which the Donegal News has been nominated are Best News Story, Feature Journalist of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year.

News editor, Louise Doyle is nominated for Best News Story for ‘Council spend €25,000 on ‘watching brief’’ and Feature Journalist of the Year for ‘Where is the pathway of care?’ – an interview with Mary Harte on life with her husband Jimmy a decade after his brain injury.

Sports editor, Ryan Ferry is nominated for Sports Journalist of the Year for three articles, ‘Boyce now feels part of adopted community’, ‘Committed Ó Baoill still gives his all to the Donegal cause’, and ‘Strong ties to St Peter’s Terrace ahead of Senior County Final’.

Ms Doyle won the Feature Journalist of the Year accolade last year for a series of three articles examining the political, policing and economic impact in Donegal 25 years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

In June, reporter Dionne Meehan was awarded a merit certificate at the Justice Media Awards. The Manorcunningham native, who now lives in Ramelton, was shortlisted in the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ category.

More than 700 entries were made for this year’s Local Ireland Media Awards, which has introduced two new categories for Political Coverage of the Year and Young Journalist of the Year.

The awards are now in their tenth year with its headline sponsors the National Lottery on board for the eighth time. This year’s awards have also received support from Coimisiún na Meán.

President of Local Ireland and Managing Director of the Southern Star Seán Mahon said: “This year’s Local Ireland Media Awards have seen record entries again from talented journalist, digital and commercial local newspaper personnel across Ireland, which just goes to show how people in our industry view the prestige associated with winning a category. I don’t envy our judges who have a challenging job deciding on the winners due to the high quality of entries.

“I’d also like to thank the National Lottery for their continued support of these awards. Working together is a great fit because both the National Lottery and all our local newspaper members are passionate about supporting local communities.”

The National Lottery has its own special category for Community Journalist of the Year.

Jennifer Crowe, Head of Corporate Affairs for the National Lottery, said: “The stories shortlisted for this year’s National Lottery category are a testament to the strength and spirit of communities across Ireland.

“Through the lens of local journalism, we see the heart of our society, people coming together, overcoming challenges, and making a difference. It’s an honour to help recognise these powerful community stories.”

Media Development Commissioner Rónán Ó’Domnhaill said: “Coimisiún na Meán prioritises the availability of high-quality journalism and we are delighted to support the upcoming Local Ireland Media Awards, to recognise the talent and commitment of local newspapers and their work supporting and informing local communities.

“We believe access to good quality and trustworthy news for all citizens is critical for a well-functioning society and so far, our journalism schemes have funded almost €2.2 million to Local Ireland members across the country. Coimisiún na Meán will continue to support the sector with the announcement of further journalism schemes later this year.”

Nineteen categories reflecting the best of journalism, photography, design, digital initiatives and sales creativity are part of the judging process. A special award for Lifetime Achievement is also made on behalf of the members of Local Ireland.

Chair of the judges, author, journalist and broadcaster Alison O’Connor said: “These awards highlight the excellence and diversity of local journalism. Picking winners in the different categories is always a challenging task for the judges – from the sharpness of the news stories to the well-crafted features, interviews and columns. All told, the standard shows how well communities around the country are served by their local newspapers.”

Joining Ms O’Connor on the judging panel are broadcaster and journalist Dearbhail McDonald, Emeritus Professor at TUD Michael Foley, Dawn Wheatley of DCU School of Communications, Managing Director of Kinetic Ireland Andrew Sinclair, photographer and former Irish Times Picture Editor Frank Miller, broadcaster and writer Valerie Cox, journalist and author PJ Cunningham, novelist and newspaper columnist Dr Martina Devlin, Policy Editor of the Business Post Daniel Murray, RTÉ journalist and presenter Katie Hannon, Deputy Night Editor of the Irish Sun Gerry McCarthy and DCU lecturer Conor Tiernan.

Winners of the awards will be announced at a gala dinner at the Mullingar Park Hotel on Thursday, September 11. Host for the evening will be RTÉ and Lyric FM presenter Marty Whelan.