Awards celebrate best of sector’s media

The overall winner of the Agricultural Journalism Awards 2012 is Caitriona Murphy of Farming Independent, who was presented with The Bull bronze trophy at an awards ceremony in AIB Bankcentre, Ballsbridge.

She won the award for her series of articles entitled “With this farm I thee wed” which looked at pre-nuptial agreements when the marriage of a son or daughter could potentially affect ownership of the family farm.

Organised by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, in association with AIB, the awards are presented every two years for work of outstanding merit in eight categories. This year there were 150 entries, covering TV, radio, national print, local print, technical, targeted, online and photography.

Category winners included:

TV: 50 Years of Farming TV (Independent Pictures, Liam Lavelle);

Radio: Demise of the Small Abbatoir (Athena Media for Today with Pat Kenny, RTÉ 1, Ella McSweeney);

Print, national: ‘With This Farm I Thee Wed, Caitriona Murphy, Irish Independent;

Print, local: Beyond The Sea, Michael Moran, for The Sligo Champion;

Technical: Grazing Guide, Farmers Journal & Teagasc;

Targeted Communications: Survivor Stories, Sarah Sheeran, Agte;

Online Blogs www.basketcasetheblog.blogspot.com by Suzanne Campbell;

Photography:Last Supper, Ted Creedon, Kerryman.

AIB special award: For ‘Outstanding Communications with the Rural Community’ to Matt Dempsey, editor, Irish Farmers Journal.