Each of the quartet will receive a cheque for £250 to reward their achievements.

Nicola Fifield, from The Press, York, was named winner of the Society of Editors' Award for her performance in the news interview exam.

The moderator's citation said: "Nicola produced an evocative, easy-to-read story. Her well organised and empathetic interview technique helped provide a solid platform for a well-structured story that had a lovely balance between the drama of the narrative, the emotiveness of the quotes and the sensitivity of the story."

Ian O'Pray, from the Harborough Mail, will be £250 richer after he was awarded the Esso Award for his news report exam.

The citation said: "Congratulations to Ian who produced a neatly packaged summary of the key details with well-chosen quotes that gave readers a clear picture of the situation from both the council and residents' viewpoint."

The Ted Bottomley Award for newspaper practice, which is sponsored by Midland News Association, went to Edward Davey of the Islington Gazette.

The moderator said Edward provided text book answers that showed a reassuringly strong grasp of the law. "On top of that, this candidate had a great list of feature ideas to keep the news desk happy," he added.

Finally, the Watford Observer's Neil Skinner received the Newsquest Award for his 'meticulously presented' logbook.

The moderator said of his work: "This logbook clearly demonstrates the candidate's ability to cover the full range of key reporting tasks with flair and confidence. All Neil's submissions were marked well above average and many were rated very good or excellent. It is a credit to trainee and trainer."

Nicola completed her pre-entry exams at Darlington College, Ian did his at De Montfort University, Edward at Harlow College and Neil completed his at Lambeth College.

For a full list of those who have passed the NCE and the examiners' report, visit www.nctj.com

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