The Jamaica Observer on Friday night won five National Journalism Awards as the curtain came down on Journalism Week celebrations at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston, marking the 65th anniversary of the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ).

Observer photographer Bryan Cummings took the Junior Dowie Award for Sports Photography for his picture depicting Shericka Williams celebrating her silver medal run at the Beijing Olympics in August, while his colleague Lionel Rookwood received the Aston Rhoden Award for News Photography with his entry showing a policeman and civilians intervening in a tussle between CVM Television reporter Michael Pryce and a People’s National Party supporter on Nomination Day last year.

Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson captured the Garth Alexander Award for Finance/Business Journalism for her columns in the weekly Business Observer; Kayon Raynor was awarded the Hugh Crosskill/Raymond Sharp Award for Sports Journalism for his scoop on the positive drugs test of sprinter Julien Dunkley just before the Olympics, while Ingrid Brown’s ‘On Dangerous Ground’ series shared the Carl Wint Award for Best Feature Story with Earl Moxam from RJR. There was no Journalist of the Year award presented this year.

Other awardees were Norman Grindley of The Gleaner, who won the Errol Harvey Award for Human Interest Photography; South Coast News for Best Cover Design for a Magazine; Shawn Bachelor of The Gleaner for Best Cover Design for a Newspaper; Marie Berbic, Excellence in Journalism On-line for Mass Com Magazine; The Gleaner’s Las May took the Livingston McLaren Award for Cartoons; the Ken Dawson Award for Television and Videography was shared by Ivan Shaw of TVJ and Omar Green of CVM; Earl Moxam won the Best Human Interest Television Feature Award; the Maurice Garrison Award for Small Publications went to South Coast News; the Sunday Herald’s Ralston Hyman and Durant Pate shared the Hector Bernard/Theodore Sealy Award for News Reporting; the President’s Award for Investigative Journalism went to The Gleaner’s Enterprise Team; and Ian Boyne of The Gleaner won the Morris Gargill Award for Opinion Journalism.

Special presentations were made to Owen James, CEO of All Media Services and Cliff Hughes, CEO of Nationwide News Network for their sterling contribution to journalism.

The judges’ report was delivered by chief judge Wyvolyn Gager, who said that they received a total of 168 entries in the 17 categories, four of which were recently introduced.

The judges cited a vast improvement in the quality of work submitted, but also noted that some entries were shabby.

Four of five members of the Observer’s award-winning team proudly display their awards at the Press Association of Jamaica Annual Awards held on Friday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.