Football Focus and 5 Live presenter to announce Awards for Excellence

BBC sports presenter Dan Walker will host the NCTJ Awards for Excellence sponsored by NFL UK, shining the spotlight on the best journalism students completing NCTJ-accredited courses and trainee journalists/photographers.

Best known as the face of Football Focus and now also the co-presenter of the 5 Live’s Afternoon Edition, Dan will announce the winners at the awards ceremony at Sheffield City Hall on Thursday, 27 November as part of the Journalism Skills Conference. He will be joined by David Tossell, director of public affairs (Europe) for NFL UK who will present the awards.

The 2014 Awards for Excellence have attracted the highest number of entries since they were launched in 2008. Industry judges deliberating over more than 200 awards entries to decide on the full shortlist, published on the NCTJ website.

Dan completed an MA in journalism at the University of Sheffield in 1999 and has gone on to carve out a successful career in sports journalism. As well as his Saturday presenting duties, he hosts a popular daily show on Radio 5 Live. Dan also fronts part of the BBC’s Open Golf coverage and has his own football show on BBC World.

He was an integral part of the BBC Sport team covering the 2014 World Cup and 2012 Olympics, and has also presented the BBC’s coverage of The Grand National, The Six Nations and Wimbledon. His debut book, Dan Walker’s Football Thronkersaurus, was published in October 2014.

Dan said: “I still look back on my time spent studying in Sheffield with great fondness and I am really looking forward to hosting the awards night. It’s also great to front an event about five minutes from my house which means I can be home before bedtime.”

For tickets or tables dinner and awards ceremony, please complete the online booking form.

The 2014 awards judges are:

Laura Adams, digital editorial director, Archant London
Mark Allen, chairman, Mark Allen Group
Jon Austin, reporter, Newsquest
Brien Beharrell, group editorial director, Newbury Weekly News
Laura Brown, senior feature writer, Take a Break
Dominic Castle, head of editorial design, Archant London
Jon Coleman, Carlisle United writer, The Cumberland News
Tim Dixon, news editor, Western Daily Press
Brian Flynn, investigations editor, The Sun
Lee Marlow, features writer, Leicester Mercury
Steve Phillips, group picture editor, South Wales Evening Post
David Rowell, head of editorial learning and development, Johnston Press
Alice Ryan, head of magazines and features, Cambridge Magazines
Laurie Tucker, day editor/journalism training, Sky Sports News
Paul Walters, director, South Wales News Service
Neil White, editor-in-chief, Derby Telegraph and Burton Mail
Ben Wilkinson, reporter, Daily Mail