The Belfast Telegraph won the newspaper of the year award in the UK's premier Regional Press Awards for the second year in a row.

The newspaper's deputy editor, Paul Connolly, also won the inaugural digital journalist of the year award. The honors come at the end of an important year for Northern Ireland, as the country's politicians struck a deal that has drawn a line after the Troubles.

There was a separate category for daily newspapers with circulations below 40,000 copies. That award went to the Ipswich Evening Star, which was commended for its coverage of last year's murder of five women working as prostitutes in the town. The Cumberland News was voted the best weekly newspaper with a circulation of over 20,000 copies, the North Shropshire Chronicle won the prize for newspapers with a circulation under 20,000 and The Comet, Hertfordshire, was named free newspaper of the year.

Source: Guardian Unlimited