IT'S OFFICIAL! The Southern Daily Echo is the brightest and best newspaper in the South - and we've got the gongs to prove it.

The Daily Echo swept the boards at an industry awards ceremony - walking away with ten trophies. Rachel Lamb was awarded News Reporter of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year for the southern region plus overall group Feature Writer of the Year.

Deputy chief sub editor Anne Edwards won Sub-editor/Designer of the Year for the Southern region and overall group Sub-editor/Designer of the Year for her work on the Daily Echo's Titanic supplement and staff photographer Paul Watts scooped the Photographer of the Year and overall Photographer of the Year.

In sport too we scored well. Graham Hiley's brilliant coverage of the Saints was singled out. He was crowned the region's Sports Writer of the Year and colleague John May was named both southern region and over-all Columnist of the Year. All were commended for out-standing work and took home trophies and prize money.

The Newscom Plc Editorial Excellence Awards saw journalists from 120 of the company's titles submitting the cream of their portfolio to a distinguished panel of judges. Bob Kirwin, deputy picture editor of the Times, Peter Sands, former editor of the Northern Echo and Bob Satchwell, director of the Society of Editors and former editor of the Cambridge Evening News used their experience and expertise to make their final decisions following a "painstaking debate''. It's the second set of accolades the newspaper has received in as many weeks.

Earlier this month our business editor Mike Ford won the BT Southern Home Counties Business Writer of the Year and writer Rachel Lamb was highly commended.

The Daily Echo, over the last 12 months, has been committed to bringing you the top stories as they happen. As a community newspaper our stories and campaigns continue to touch the lives of tens of thousands of people. Our Be A Friend campaign provided companions for dozens of blind people and our Post Watch campaign led to a Post Office pledge to speed up deliveries.

We also strive to bring you the exclusives as they happen. Exclusives followed up by the national press. Breaking front page stories like the lesbian couple who bought sperm on the internet so they could have a baby; the tragic death of Southampton toddler Jason Dorricott and the horror of the Catalina sea plane crash.

Daily Echo editor, Ian Murray, said: "The awards to members of the Southern Daily Echo's editorial team are richly deserved. The paper's content has been superb. I am delighted so many members of the department have been recognised."

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