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The best of the press: Winners of the 2025 Kent Press & Broadcast Awards announced
This year’s Kent Press & Broadcast Awards celebrated the best stories, investigations, features, news websites, magazines and programmes of the year, as well as everyone working behind the scenes and the newest recruits to the county’s media.
Hosted by Maryam Moshiri, a chief presenter at BBC News, the winners of the 11th annual Kent Press & Broadcast Awards (KPBA) were selected from among 140 entries received across 16 categories, by a team of eight independent judges who have many years of media experience.
The not-for-profit award scheme, which recognises and rewards the media’s commitment to serving local communities, is organised by Maxim, the Kent PR and marketing agency celebrating 30 years of being in business.
The finalists and sponsors welcomed Maryam, who gave an insight into her journey in journalism, which includes her show The World Today on the BBC’s news channel, which broadcasts to more than 100 million viewers around the world.
This year, the Golden Microphone award was won by Derek Johnson and Siobhan Hart of ITV News Meridian for their yearlong digital journalism project, covering the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The pair filmed 100 interviews with veterans which were all uploaded to a specially-commissioned ITV webpage.
The Golden Pen award was awarded to Megan Carr, who works on KentOnline and Sheerness Times Guardian, for how she told her own story after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The judges congratulated Megan for what was an extremely well-written piece of editorial content.
Commenting at the event, Maxim Director Rachel Knight said: “We want to thank everyone who made this year’s ceremony such a success. Maryam was a fantastic host and we’ve already had some great feedback. Knowing how much KPBA means to people and seeing such big smiles on the day makes all the hard work worthwhile.
“A big thank you must also go to the generous sponsors, who recognise the important role the press still plays in our communities; without them we couldn’t run the awards.
“And last but definitely not least, these awards wouldn’t have been possible without our judges who give up their free time and we are so grateful for their support.”
The Winners are as follows:
Kent Broadcast Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by Le Shuttle
• Winner: Joe Coshan, ITV News Meridian
Kent Broadcast Presenter of the Year
Sponsored by CPL Films
• Winner: Claudia Sermbezis, BBC South East
Kent Design(er) of the Year
Sponsored by Ashford Designer Outlet
• Winner: Rhodri Andrews, KMTV
Kent Feature Journalist of the Year (Broadcast)
Sponsored by Shepherd Neame
• Winner: Ben Moore, BBC South East Investigations
Kent Feature Journalist of the Year
(Print & Online)
Sponsored by MHA
• Winner: Chris Britcher, KentOnline
Kent Investigation of the Year
Sponsored by Panattoni
• Winner: Brad Harper, KentOnline
Kent Magazine of the Year
Sponsored by Stagecoach South East
• Winner: ’cene Magazine
Kent Making it Happen Award
Sponsored by Gallagher Group
• Winner: Susan Brewer, BBC South East
Kent New Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by East Kent Colleges Group
• Winner: Robert Boddy, KentOnline/ Medway Messenger
Kent News Website of the Year
Sponsored by Port of Dover
• Winner: KentOnline
Kent Newspaper of the Year
Sponsored by Southern Water
• Winner: East Kent Mercury
Kent Print & Online Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by Caxtons
• Winner: Alex Langridge, KentOnline Kent Programme of the Year
Sponsored by Countrystyle Recycling
• Winner: ITV News Meridian – Water Special
Kent Story of the Year
Sponsored by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce
• Winner: Brad Harper, KentOnline
Supported by Kent Cricket
• Winner: Matt Cole & Ben Watts, BBC Radio Kent
Kent Voices Award
Sponsored by Southeastern
• Winner: Megan Samrai, ITV News Meridian
Golden Pen
• Megan Carr, KentOnline/Sheerness Times Guardian/Sittingbourne News for her own cancer story
Golden Microphone
• Siobhan Hart & Derek Johnson, ITV News Meridian for D-Day’s 80th anniversary website
The awards event took place at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury, on Friday, June 20. For more information on the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards, visit www.kpbawards.co.uk.
