Shortlist announced ahead of NCTJ Awards for Excellence in Brighton

The NCTJ has announced the shortlist for this year’s Awards for Excellence, which will take place at the Brighton Dome on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.

Sponsored by Reuters, the Awards for Excellence is heading to East Sussex for the first time to celebrate the achievements of individuals with promising journalism careers ahead of them.

This year saw more than 550 submissions – once again breaking records and showcasing the exceptional talent entering journalism. Following a rigorous review by industry expert judges, the shortlist has been revealed across all award categories.

Click here to view the shortlist.

The annual awards recognise the achievements of journalism students, trainees and apprentices, as well as the training providers and employers promoting positive change in the industry.

The NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2025 has been supported across the media industry, with category sponsors including Alder Media, Yahoo, Sky News, Sky Sports News, Mark Allen Group, BBC, Market Research Society, British Polling Council, News UK and the Financial Times.

New for this year, in partnership with The Times, is the Andrew Norfolk Investigative Journalism Award, which was launched to honour one of Britain’s most tenacious journalists. The award, open to those with the gold standard Diploma in Journalism and less than two years’ experience in journalism, offers a one-year paid internship in investigative journalism with The Times.

Joanne Forbes, chief executive of the NCTJ, said: “We are excited to bring the Awards for Excellence to Brighton to celebrate the fantastic talent entering the journalism industry from a broad range of voices, backgrounds and career paths.

“We are incredibly grateful to our industry expert judges who give their time to review every entry, and their expertise ensures these awards truly recognise excellence in journalism.”

The winner of the chair’s award for outstanding contribution to journalism education and training will be presented at the ceremony.

Those on the shortlist are invited to the ceremony and lunch as guests of the NCTJ. Tickets are available to book here. The awards celebration will be preceded by an accreditation seminar for course leaders and their industry advisers.

If you are interested in supporting the NCTJ’s Awards for Excellence, please contact [email protected].