Seventy three companies and organisations now await the judges’ decisions at the Awards Dinner on Thursday 24 April.

Over 180 entries from all sizes of companies were submitted.

Over 500 editors, producers, MDs and staffers from the region’s leading broadcasters, publishers and agencies will be coming together at what is undoubtedly the largest gathering of senior media and creative industries folk seen in the region for many years.

Representatives of the following companies and organisations will be attending.

The full shortlist is:

Design consultancy – sponsored by Highlight

Digital agency - sponsored by City Talk 105.9fm

Independent TV/radio production company - sponsored by the NWDA

Magazine - sponsored by Sport Newspapers

Most innovative media platform or product - sponsored by speake2

PR agency - sponsored by KMP

TV programme - sponsored by Sumners

Personality - sponsored by TBWA\Manchester

The winner of the Personality Award will be announced on the evening of the dinner.

For the record, the judging panel of acclaimed media figures comprised:

 
Alice Morrison, former BBC journalist and presently chief executive Northwest Vision and Media. Alice started her career on an entertainment magazine in Dubai and subsequently helped launch BBC News24 before plumping for a change of career with a switch to a leading Lancashire ISP, prior to joining NWVM.
 
Alison Hastings, former editor and currently an adviser to the PCC and Camelot and the BBC Trustee responsible for England. Edited the Newcastle Evening Chronicle from 1996 to 2002 before relocating to Liverpool. Former columnist on UK Press Gazette and can be frequently heard and seen as a media pundit on radio and TV. A member of the Society of Editors and an adviser to the Press Complaints Commission.
 
Anthony Taylor, head of external communications at £2bn turnover Littlewoods Shop Direct and former head of media at the General Medical Council. Began his career at a PR agency in Manchester and subsequently worked in London and the Turks and Caicos Islands before moving back to his native North West.  

Carl Hopkins, former chairman of JDA, the largest regionally-based direct marketing agency. Carl joined JDA in West Yorkshire 1984 as a junior designer and rose through the ranks to take over the business in 2000 as managing director and took the role of chairman in 2005 until the sale of the business in 2007. He has a growing range of other media interests.

Gordon Burns. TV presenter. There’s more than the Krypton Factor and North West Tonight to Belfast-born Burns. Began his career as a print journalist before moving into broadcasting as a news presenter on Ulster TV. Presented the Krypton Factor for 18 years until 1995 and the anchorman on the BBC’s North West Tonight since 1997.
 
Iain Bennett is the sector leader for digital and creative industries at the NWDA where he is responsible for strategy and development of Europe’s second largest cluster of creative and digital companies. He was previously a theatrical agent and subsequently a founder of a new media design agency. In 2002 he joined London Metropolitan University as managing director of its new media training company.
 
Jim Hancock, journalist, presenter and political commentator for over 30 years. He has interviewed every Prime Minister from Harold Wilson to Gordon Brown and has been a lobby correspondent for the BBC and IRN. He was Granada TV’s political correspondent from 1987 to 1994 and political editor of the BBC North West 1998 to 2006. Can also be found chairing conferences for bodies such as the NWDA, CBI and the IoD.
 
Karen Gee, previously sales and marketing director at Wigan-based Shearings Leisure. Since graduating in International Marketing, Karen has specialised in the travel and leisure industry, working for companies such as Airtours, First Choice, Flying Colours, Rail Europe, Universal Studios Florida, eDreams.com and Sky Travel.
 
Martin Anderson, chairman of TBWA\Manchester until last year and one of the most prominent figures in the region’s advertising community over recent years. Spent most of his career at what was BDH where he became creative director in 1978. Moved across to account management in 1988 and became MD in 1992 and chairman in 1996.  Was chairman of IPA regions 1994 to 1996 and served on the IPA council in London for 15 years.  
 
Philip Graf CBE, former chief executive of Trinity Mirror and currently deputy chairman of Ofcom and a NED with Archant. A Cambridge law graduate, Graf joined the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo in 1983 and became chief executive of what was then Trinity in 1993. Led the acquisition of the Mirror Group in 1999 and subsequently became the chief executive of the enlarged company. In 2003 he was asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to carry out a review of the BBC's online activities.

Sally Sykes left AstraZeneca to join DePuy as a board director in March.  Previous roles with Ciba-Geigy, Scottish & Newcastle, Littlewoods and Manchester Airport. Sally is on the national executive and board of the CIPR and was rated by  “PR Week” in 2006 as one of the 50 most influential UK PR practitioners.  
 
Shaun Fensom, chief executive of Manchester Digital and chairman of the Community Broadband Network. Has been working in the online industry since the 1980s in various roles and with a number of ISPs.
 

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