The Irish Farmers Journal team has swept the boards at the 2020 Agri Guild awards, including the top prize of the biennial awards, The Bull, which was awarded to Lorcan Allen and Hannah Quinn Mulligan for their series on Larry Goodman’s finances.
The prestigious awards, hosted by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists and sponsored by FBD Insurance, aim to encourage excellence in the reporting of farming, food and rural life on the island of Ireland.
As well as being part of the winning duo to claim the top prize, Hannah Quinn Mulligan collected the prizes for best news article and was named the Rising Star of 2020.
Odile Evans won the best technical category for her piece on natural capital.
Winning series
Lorcan and Hannah's winning series explored the corporate structures behind ABP Food Group.
The investigation was the first time detailed financial information on the profits, asset values and corporate structure within the ABP group was published in the public domain in Ireland and was selected by an independent judging panel of industry and media experts as the overall winner from a shortlist of 30 entries.
FBD Insurance plc chief sales officer John Cahalan said: “I’m delighted to virtually support and celebrate the 2020 Guild of Agricultural Journalism awards.
"FBD is proud of our longstanding relationship and sponsorship of this event, which celebrates excellence in agricultural journalism.
"In a world with so much information and misinformation surrounding us on a daily basis, never before has there been a greater need to support, recognise and reward quality journalism.
"It is very positive to note, with the high number of submissions, that this competition continues to go from strength to strength.”
Commenting on the winning entry, chair of the judging panel Johnny O’Hanlon, Director of Local Ireland said: “While this has been an extraordinarily difficult year, it certainly didn’t deter the enthusiasm of journalists and industry communicators, judging by the volume of entries received across all categories and that the judges were struck by the high categories of entries across the categories.
“On this year’s judging panel, I was joined by Karina Pierce, Anna Marie McHugh, Richard Wright and Declan Malone.
"We enjoyed plenty of lively discussion and debate to reach agreement on the shortlist of entries across each of the categories.
"Indeed, the liveliness intensified when it came to agreeing the category winners and reached a crescendo when it came to the arduous decision of who would be awarded the prestigious and much coveted bull.”
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said: "To be recognised by your peers as being the best in any field is something that professionals strive for their entire career, but only a few can achieve. To win an award of this nature is a tremendous achievement."
Here are the winners in full:
Best news article
Over 28,000ac of farmland controlled by vulture funds - Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers JournalBest feature article
Larry Goodman's finances - a three-week investigative series - Lorcan Allen and Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers JournalBest technical article
Natural capital - Odile Evans, Irish Farmers JournalBest visual report
Cashel Mart - Paula Williams & Helen Carroll, Indiepics - Ear to the GroundBest audio report
Potato harvest - Fran McNulty, RTÉBest targeted campaign
ABP Angus youth challenge Northern Ireland – MF CommunicationBest COVID reporting
COVID-19 virus knows no borders - Michael Fisher, The Northern StandardBest COVID communications
Certified Irish Angus repositioning campaign in the year of COVID - Gemma Smyth CommunicationsRising Star
Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers JournalBest photograph
Wild Atlantic - Valerie O'Sullivan.
New categories
Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists Amy Forde said: “As chair of the southern section, I was delighted to see over 200 entries for this year’s awards, with best news article and best feature article attracting almost 90 entries between them.
"To reflect the year, we also introduced two new categories - best COVID reporting and best COVID communications - acknowledging how we as communicators had a very important role to play.
"Rising star is another new category which was added as the guild wished to recognise those who will take the industry forward.
“We are incredibly grateful to our judging panel who had a mammoth task in both selecting the shortlist and the overall winners.
"I would like to thank FBD for their support once again, I would like to commend all of those who entered our awards for doing your part in encouraging healthy competition and promoting excellence in the reporting of agricultural and rural issues year round.”
The Irish Farmers Journal team has swept the boards at the 2020 Agri Guild awards, including the top prize of the biennial awards, The Bull, which was awarded to Lorcan Allen and Hannah Quinn Mulligan for their series on Larry Goodman’s finances.
The prestigious awards, hosted by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists and sponsored by FBD Insurance, aim to encourage excellence in the reporting of farming, food and rural life on the island of Ireland.
As well as being part of the winning duo to claim the top prize, Hannah Quinn Mulligan collected the prizes for best news article and was named the Rising Star of 2020.
Odile Evans won the best technical category for her piece on natural capital.
Winning series
Lorcan and Hannah's winning series explored the corporate structures behind ABP Food Group.
The investigation was the first time detailed financial information on the profits, asset values and corporate structure within the ABP group was published in the public domain in Ireland and was selected by an independent judging panel of industry and media experts as the overall winner from a shortlist of 30 entries.
FBD Insurance plc chief sales officer John Cahalan said: “I’m delighted to virtually support and celebrate the 2020 Guild of Agricultural Journalism awards.
"FBD is proud of our longstanding relationship and sponsorship of this event, which celebrates excellence in agricultural journalism.
"In a world with so much information and misinformation surrounding us on a daily basis, never before has there been a greater need to support, recognise and reward quality journalism.
"It is very positive to note, with the high number of submissions, that this competition continues to go from strength to strength.”
Commenting on the winning entry, chair of the judging panel Johnny O’Hanlon, Director of Local Ireland said: “While this has been an extraordinarily difficult year, it certainly didn’t deter the enthusiasm of journalists and industry communicators, judging by the volume of entries received across all categories and that the judges were struck by the high categories of entries across the categories.
“On this year’s judging panel, I was joined by Karina Pierce, Anna Marie McHugh, Richard Wright and Declan Malone.
"We enjoyed plenty of lively discussion and debate to reach agreement on the shortlist of entries across each of the categories.
"Indeed, the liveliness intensified when it came to agreeing the category winners and reached a crescendo when it came to the arduous decision of who would be awarded the prestigious and much coveted bull.”
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said: "To be recognised by your peers as being the best in any field is something that professionals strive for their entire career, but only a few can achieve. To win an award of this nature is a tremendous achievement."
Here are the winners in full:
Best news article
Over 28,000ac of farmland controlled by vulture funds - Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers JournalBest feature article
Larry Goodman's finances - a three-week investigative series - Lorcan Allen and Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers JournalBest technical article
Natural capital - Odile Evans, Irish Farmers JournalBest visual report
Cashel Mart - Paula Williams & Helen Carroll, Indiepics - Ear to the GroundBest audio report
Potato harvest - Fran McNulty, RTÉBest targeted campaign
ABP Angus youth challenge Northern Ireland – MF CommunicationBest COVID reporting
COVID-19 virus knows no borders - Michael Fisher, The Northern StandardBest COVID communications
Certified Irish Angus repositioning campaign in the year of COVID - Gemma Smyth CommunicationsRising Star
Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Irish Farmers JournalBest photograph
Wild Atlantic - Valerie O'Sullivan.
New categories
Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists Amy Forde said: “As chair of the southern section, I was delighted to see over 200 entries for this year’s awards, with best news article and best feature article attracting almost 90 entries between them.
"To reflect the year, we also introduced two new categories - best COVID reporting and best COVID communications - acknowledging how we as communicators had a very important role to play.
"Rising star is another new category which was added as the guild wished to recognise those who will take the industry forward.
“We are incredibly grateful to our judging panel who had a mammoth task in both selecting the shortlist and the overall winners.
"I would like to thank FBD for their support once again, I would like to commend all of those who entered our awards for doing your part in encouraging healthy competition and promoting excellence in the reporting of agricultural and rural issues year round.”
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