The Press Awards 2026: Celebrating Excellence in UK Journalism
The Press Awards, the leading event recognizing the best of national journalism in the UK, will celebrate its honorees on May 21, 2026, in a ceremony in London. This annual event acknowledges achievements from individual journalists to entire news organizations.
A Prestigious History
Established in 1962 by The People and World’s Press News as the Hannen Swaffer Awards, the awards have evolved over the decades. Originally judged by a slight panel with just three awards, the event has grown significantly. After several name changes – including becoming the International Publishing Corporation Hannen Swaffer Awards in 1966 and the British Press Awards in 1975 – the awards were taken over by the Society of Editors in 2010 and rebranded as The Press Awards [1].
2026 Nominations: A Glance at the Frontrunners
This year’s awards feature a strong field of nominees. The Guardian leads with over 20 nominations across 21 categories, including highly coveted awards for Website of the Year, Daily Newspaper of the Year, and Newspaper of the Year (Daily and Sunday) [1]. The Telegraph has also received 20 nominations [3].
Key Nominations for The Guardian
- Broadsheet Interviewer of the Year: Charlotte Edwardes, Donald McRae, and Simon Hattenstone are all nominated. Hattenstone is also nominated for Broadsheet Feature Writer of the Year.
- Young Journalist of the Year: Malak A Tantesh, former Gaza correspondent.
- News Podcast of the Year: Missing in the Amazon, hosted by Tom Phillips, investigates the disappearance of journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous defender Bruno Pereira.
- Excellence in Diversity Award: The Long Wave newsletter, stemming from the Guardian’s Legacies of Enslavement programme.
- Scoop of the Year: Diane Taylor for her exclusive report on the return of an Iranian man to the UK.
About The Press Awards
The Press Awards are designed to celebrate the finest in national journalism, recognizing both individual accomplishments and the success of news organizations [2]. The awards have grown from a small event with a few categories to a comprehensive celebration of journalistic excellence, now featuring 31 categories and a large judging panel [4].