The Irish Farmers Journal has six nominations across five categories in the prestigious Irish Journalism Awards in association with NewsBrands Ireland.
The awards, which take place in the Mansion House, Dublin on 12 November celebrate the best in quality Irish journalism, across all disciplines.
Front Cover of the Year
The Irish Farmers Journal has been shortlisted for Front Cover of the Year for its comprehensive coverage of Budget 2025, summarising how the €85m in new funding for farmers would impact each farming sector. From the €400,000 new inheritance tax limit to the €100/ha new payment for tillage farmers and €25/head boost for suckler farmers, and the same promised in sheep payments, readers could quickly understand the impact of the complex budget in one simple front cover.
Magazine of the Year
In the Magazine of the Year category, Irish Country Living, and its seasonal food magazine Irish Country Living Food have both been nominated.
Each week Irish Country Living shines a light on life in rural Ireland, via features celebrating individuals and businesses who are at the heart of their communities; investigative articles on rural issues and health stories; the celebration of Irish food; and career progression in the agri-food industry.
Following the journey of food from farm to fork, Irish Country Living Food is a celebration of homegrown produce, through delicious recipes, profile pieces on Irish producers and chefs, as well as the celebration of our food heritage.
In the past year, Irish Country Living and Irish Country Living Food underwent a rebrand, with both publications displaying a fresh and modern look with a focus on clean lines, elegant typography and thoughtful use of space, allowing the reader to truly engage with the stories on page.
Features Writer of the Year (Popular)
Journalist Rosalind Skillen has been nominated for two awards, as Features Writer of the Year (Popular) and Young Journalist of the Year for her work in Irish Country Living.
Rosalind’s features are detailed in their account of health issues impacting rural families. Her nominated pieces include the lack of services in rural areas for those impacted by eating disorders; the lengths that women in Ireland go to in order to correct stress urinary incontinence; and the heartbreaking loss of a young mother who died due to sepsis.
Campaigning journalism
The Irish Country Living team has been nominated for best campaigning journalism for its Break the Cycle campaign, a month-long initiative which focused on rising awareness of mental health in rural Ireland.
As well as highlighting ‘the perfect storm that can make farmers more susceptible to suicide', the human impact was communicated through the voices of those impacted by mental health, including that of sheep shearer and farmer George Graham. The campaign was also brought to life through talks and initiatives at the Irish Farmers Journal stand at the National Ploughing Championships (2024).
Commenting on all the nominations announced on Tuesday, Ann Marie Lenihan, CEO of NewsBrands Ireland spoke about the fact that Irish journalism continues to hold power to account, providing readers with information backed up with facts.
“Though Irish publishers compete fiercely for readers, what binds them together is their shared commitment to upholding ethics and standards in journalism,” she said.
Des Doris, managing director of Alchemy added: “We are delighted to announce a shortlist that demonstrates the quality and breadth of Irish journalism. From domestic and international coverage, to news, scoops and investigative endeavour, to entertainment, sport and in-depth analysis, this shortlist demonstrates the range of journalistic endeavour.”
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