The London Press Club Awards 2026 celebrated the year's best journalism and reporting, with dozens of the media industry's most influential figures gathering at Stationer's Hall near St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday.
Compère and BBC broadcaster Riz Lateef opened the awards, praising what he called a "vintage year for news and scoops".
The Daily Mail wins Press Media Title of the Year
The Press Media Title of the Year was awarded to The Daily Mail, which also received high praise in several categories. The outlet was commended for its "countless scoops, exposes, and agenda-setting exclusives", as well as its success in integrating print and online operations.
Notably, the Mail was applauded for how it handled a four-year-long legal battle against Prince Harry and six other high-profile claimants. "It and its journalists endured, stood firm - and won," the judges said.
In a statement read out by London Press Club Chairman Doug Wills, former Mail editor Paul Dacre said the High Court case had raised "deeply disturbing questions" about the free press. Mr Dacre said the case was unsuccessful in its attempt to "destroy a great paper and the free press", but warned "the enemies" of the free press have not gone away.
Top individual honours
Senior News Reporter at the Mail, Arthur Parashar, won the prize for Young Journalist of the Year, applauded for his "sophistication, flair, and humanity to deliver agenda-setting exclusives."
The top prize of Journalist of the Year was awarded to Gabriel Pogrund of the Sunday Times, who impressed judges with multiple scoops, including the web of secret payments that supported Nigel Farage's return to politics and the false intelligence used by West Midlands Police to secure a ban on Israeli football fans attending a game in Birmingham.
Private Eye editor Ian Hislop received the Edgar Wallace Award, named after the late London-born writer. Accepting the award, which acknowledges outstanding journalism and reporting, Mr Hislop recalled his efforts to spotlight the Post Office scandal. He said: "I believe in investigative journalism, I believe in not taking things too seriously, and I believe in journalism as a difficult, worthwhile activity which should be fun."
Other winners and tributes
Martyn Ziegler of The Times won both Scoop of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year after his expose on Gianni Infantino's proposals to sell a stake in FIFA to private investors.
The Photographer of the Year was awarded to Phil Noble after he captured "that" photo of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor in the car following his arrest. Mr Noble was praised for his "old-school" tactics that led to the image being shared across front pages around the world.
The Broadcaster of the Year Award was won by the BBC's Lyse Doucet, who paid tribute to her colleagues at the BBC who had been made redundant as part of the public broadcaster's cuts. She ended her acceptance speech by declaring: "We will fight for our place in a democratic society."
The full list of winners includes: Press Media Title of the Year: The Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday; Specialist Journalist of the Year: Larissa Brown, The Times; Journalist of the Year: Gabriel Pogrund, The Sunday Times; Political Journalist of the Year: Patrick Maguire, The Times; Broadcaster of the Year: Lyse Doucet, BBC News; Business Journalist of the Year: Anna Isaac, The Guardian; Photographer of the Year: Phil Noble; Showbiz Journalist of the Year: Tom Bryant, Daily Mirror; Sports Journalist of the Year: Martyn Ziegler; Podcast of the Year: Iran the Latest, The Telegraph; Young Journalist of the Year: Arthur Parashar, Daily Mail; Special Campaigning Award: Robert Fisk, Daily Express; Scoop of the Year: Martyn Ziegler; Londoner of the Year: Lady Mayor Sue Langley; Edgar Wallace Award: Ian Hislop.
