Newspaper award judges have praised the Southern Daily Echo at a glitzy awards ceremony.

The 2024 Newspaper Awards celebrated the very best of the local news industry, with the Echo shortlisted for Regional Daily Newspaper of the Year.

Held at the Hilton London Bankside and presented by Mark Durden-Smith on Tuesday night, the awards shone a spotlight on the work of local journalists across printed newspapers.

The Echo was commended in its category for being "well designed" and a "value for money read".

Judges said: "A value for money read for its south coast audience. Well designed, with clean pages and some excellent commercial initiatives."

Printed Monday to Saturday, the Echo is filled with stories worked on by a team of news and sports reporters based in Ocean Village.

Boasting top Saints reports and features, court coverage and the latest breaking news, the Echo keeps readers up to date every day.

Judges scrutinised several editions of the Echo before announcing the shortlist earlier this year.

Editor Ben Fishwick said: "The team at the Echo works tirelessly to cover a wide range of stories - from sports to community news and everything in between, and always aims to serve you, our readers.

"I am beyond proud of the team's work leading to the Echo being shortlisted and then commended for our printed newspaper.

"Thousands of people read the paper in print every day, all at a time when we are also serving a great many readers across our online platforms.

"Combined in print and digital, we reach more than 80 per cent of adults in Southampton - proving we are the go-to place to find out what's happening in the area."

South Coast stablemate the Isle of Wight County Press - the UK's best-selling weekly newspaper, and like the Echo also owned by Newsquest, was commended in the Weekly Newspaper of the Year Category.

Of the County Press, judges said: "This local weekly has a high story count and great use of white space.

"Judges particularly liked its sports section at the back.”

The Irish News was crowned winner of Regional Daily Newspaper of the Year, with the Yorkshire Evening Post highly commended.