New chairperson of Newsbrands Ireland journalism awards judging panel announced

Claire Grady, left, new chair of the journalism awards judging panel, with Ann Marie Lenihan, chief executive of NewsBrands Ireland. Picture: Fennell Photography 

The former editor of the Irish Independent and Herald Claire Grady has been announced as the new chairperson of the Newsbrands Ireland journalism awards judging panel. 

Ms Grady is set to lead a team of independent judges who will be tasked with choosing the best journalism of the past year from over 800 entries across 22 categories. 

Ms Grady will bring a wealth of experience to the panel as she has worked in Independent Newspapers for almost three decades, having started out in regional papers in Mayo and Dublin. For the past few years, she has held the role of communications manager in a public sector body. 

Looking ahead to the new role, Ms Grady said in an an era of  "unprecedented competition for people's attention, news media journalists in Ireland continue to be trusted voices". 

Ms Grady said the quality of entries for the awards in recent years was a testament to the resilience of journalists in the sector. 

"I'm honoured to be taking over from Tim Vaughan as chair of the judging panel and delighted to be playing a role in recognising the best of Irish journalism," she added. 

In 2021, the Irish Examiner won six Newsbrands Ireland Journalism awards. 

The accolades celebrated the newspaper's coverage of the mother and baby homes controversy and the uncovering of the Golfgate scandal. 

Political correspondent Paul Hosford and former political correspondent with the Irish Examiner Aoife Moore. Picture: Moya Nolan

Political correspondents Aoife Moore and Paul Hosford won the prestigious Journalist of the Year award, as well as Scoop of the Year for their joint coverage of Golfgate. 

The judging for the awards begins later this month, and the shortlist will be announced at the end of October. 

Welcoming Ms Grady to her new role, chief executive of NewsBrands Ireland Ann Marie Lenihan said: "Claire has been a member of the independent judging panel for the past three years and as a former national newspaper editor, with more than 30 years' experience in journalism, her experience is second to none." 

A varied team of seasoned journalists will be working alongside Ms Grady this year including former editors Allan Prosser, Geraldine Kennedy, Frank Fitzgibbon, Sebastian Hamilton, and Des Gibson. 

The highly anticipated awards will be handed out across 22 categories including Digital Innovation, Video Journalism, Politics, Business, Crime, Opinion and Sports. 

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Dublin's Mansion House on November 17, and they will be hosted by broadcaster and journalist Matt Cooper.