Emerging talent in journalism celebrated at NCTJ Awards for Excellence

Up-and-coming journalists showcased their talent at the 2024 NCTJ Awards for Excellence, sponsored by Reuters.

The ceremony took place at Hallé St Peter’s on Friday, 4 April and recognised the outstanding journalism students, apprentices and trainees who are already making their mark in the industry.

The awards were presented by Alex Crawford, special correspondent at Sky News and patron of the NCTJ.

She said: “I’m truly inspired by the talent, dedication and passion we’ve seen here today. These students, trainees and apprentices represent the future of journalism, and if today’s shortlisted entrants are anything to go by, journalism is in very safe hands.”

Among the winners were journalists whose investigative work has uncovered pressing social issues, multimedia storytellers using cutting-edge techniques to engage audiences, and data journalists harnessing statistics to bring clarity to complex topics.

These emerging journalists have delivered impactful coverage from global events to local communities, telling stories that matter to readers all while navigating the impact of AI on the industry.

This year’s NCTJ trainee of the year is Hayley Clarke, an education reporter at BBC News and NCTJ ambassador. Hayley, who was shortlisted in four categories at the awards, achieved the best overall results in the NQJ out of all the candidates sitting in 2023-24. Hayley completed the NQJ as a senior apprentice, and achieved a distinction in all three assessments.

Ezekiel Bertrand, a reporter with Newsquest South London, was named level 5 apprentice of the year. The youngest journalist in his newsroom, Ezekiel began his apprenticeship aged just 16. He passed all his shorthand exams up to 120 words per minute on his first attempt and was described by his editor and tutors as a superstar and a role model for aspiring journalists.

Imogen Garfinkel from PA Media Academy was named student of the year, having achieved the best overall diploma results with an impressive seven As. Imogen now works as a news reporter at the Jewish Chronicle and hopes to become a cultural features writer in the future.

Joanne Forbes, chief executive of the NCTJ, congratulated the winners, stating: “These awards showcase the best of emerging journalistic talent. It is inspiring to see how these journalists are upholding the highest standards to tell important stories across a variety of different platforms.

“We received a record number of entries this year and the judges praised the exceptional standard of work, so everyone who made the shortlist should be tremendously proud of this achievement.”

The NCTJ is grateful for the support of headline sponsor Reuters, and all the organisations who supported this year’s awards: Alder Media, British Polling Council, Financial Times, The i Paper, Mark Allen Group, Market Research Society, News UK, Sky News, Sky Sports News, The Telegraph and Yahoo.

Click here to see a full list of the awards and their work.