AJ wins top journalism prize

The prestigious award, which last year was won by Dezeen, was announced at the IBP National Journalism Awards event on Thursday night (23 November).

The AJ has now won Editorial Brand of the Year three times out of the last four years - a record haul.

Referring to the M&S Oxford Street planning inquiry among other things, the IBP judges said the AJ was a 'consistently strong, sector-leading title whose tenacious, campaigning journalism culminated this year in a landmark planning decision which has shaped the agenda on re-use versus demolition.'

They added: 'This brand does what a good editorial brand should – it makes the connection between its sector and the biggest issues affecting people, leads the conversation, and is not afraid to be controversial.'

Reacting to the news, AJ editor Emily Booth said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious prize.

‘The AJ’s goal is to support, challenge and inspire the wonderful architecture profession through our agenda-setting coverage.

‘We prioritise creative thinking and collaboration in our team, and achieving this accolade is testament to that. Our thanks to the IBP, judges and sponsors for making this award possible.’

Three AJ journalists also won IBP awards on the night including news editor Richard Waite, who was named News Journalist of the Year.

The judges said: 'The winning entrant’s deep experience and expertise allowed them to lie in wait on an investigation into alleged corruption for a number of years, and then to strike when the moment was right. Rich variety and headline-grabbing news have won him the award ahead of a strong field.'

AJ senior news reporter Gino Spocchia won Scoop of the Year for his January article revealing Peter Cook and Adjaye Associates to be among the UK architects working on the 170km-long NEOM ‘mega-city’ project The Line in Saudi Arabia.

'This was a closely-fought category featuring three very different types of story, all demonstrating important aspects of the reporter's craft,' the judges said. 'In the end, the judges chose the story that had the biggest impact in the community. This exclusive generated extensive and impassioned debate about business ethics, generated huge traffic for the host site, and was keenly followed up by other media outlets.'

AJ managing editor Will Hurst was named Architectural Journalist of the Year.

The judges commented: 'This journalist captured the drama of key issues whilst, sometimes on widely reported stories, edging ahead of the competition by incorporating punches from both sides of the table, offering theatre and style as well as rigour, thought, and relevance.

'They demonstrated not just their excellent nose for a story but also their ability to provide balance and a strong range of writing styles, resulting in articles with a legacy.'

And AJ senior news reporter Anna Highfield was recognised with a ‘highly commended’ in the New Journalist of the Year category after impressing judges with her 'engaging writing style, news sense, story development and the range of her articles'.

They added: 'Her understanding of what will interest her readers belies the fact she’d only joined the title a few months earlier.'

International Building Press Journalism Awards winners 2023

• IBP Journalist of the Year: Peter Apps, Inside Housing
• Editorial Brand of the Year: Architects’ Journal
• New Journalist of the Year: Daniel Gayne, Building
• Architectural Journalist of the Year: Will Hurst, Architects’ Journal
• Business / Financial Journalist of the Year: Dave Rogers, Building
• Construction / Infrastructure Journalist of the Year: Will Mann, Construction Management
• Feature Writer of the Year: Ian Weinfass, Construction News/Freelance
• Housing / Residential Property Journalist of the Year: Peter Apps, Inside Housing
• News Journalist of the Year: Richard Waite, Architects’ Journal
• Scoop of the Year: Gino Spocchia, Architects’ Journal

Financial Times consumer editor Claer Barrett, a former Property Week journalist, was also awarded an Outstanding Contribution to Journalism Award by the IBP.

See the full list of results here.