Forres Gazette photographer Beth Taylor and sports editor Craig Christie nominated at Highlands and Islands Media Awards
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THE Forres Gazette and its sister titles will be well-represented at this year's Highlands and Islands Media Awards.
Photographer Beth Taylor (22) only joined The Gazette in June, but has made an instant impact in a short space of time, being nominated for Photographer of the Year.
Sports editor Craig Christie has again been nominated for Sports Reporter of the Year, which he won in 2017 and was in the running for last year.
The winners of the awards will be announced at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness on February 3.
There is big competition for both, with Beth up against two freelance photographers Paul Campbell and Malcolm Younger and Craig up against Mark Harcus (Orcadian) and Andy Skinner (Press and Journal).
Beth is delighted to be nominated after a whirlwind first six months in what is her first full-time job.
"I didn't quite believe it, to be honest," she said of finding out about her nomination.
"I've only been here a few months and I didn't even believe it when I got the job.
"I just want to thank everyone at Highland News and Media and The Forres Gazette for teaching me the ropes, making me feel comfortable and making it a good experience.
"I didn't know how diverse the job could be, from taking diamond wedding photos, which was my first job, to meeting royals and doing boxing matches, it's just incredible all the opportunities I get.
"I'm just happy to be nominated and it'll be good to go and enjoy the night – and obviously it'll be even better if I can pick up the win!"
On her favourite snap, she added: "The photos are all diverse, but my favourite is probably the one of the war memorial in Huntly.
"It was captured at the right time. People have heard of The Unknown Soldier in London and when you look at this photo you can't see the veteran's face either, so I like that one the best."
If she wins, Beth will become the third consecutive Forres Gazette photographer to win an award at the ceremony – following on from the now-retired Eric Cormack winning Top Shot in 2020 and Daniel Forsyth winning Photographer of the Year in 2022.
Elsewhere, the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald has been nominated for Newspaper of the Year and Inverness-based sports reporter Andrew Henderson has been nominated for Features Writer of the Year.
