Sir Don McCullin and Jeremy Bowen scooped the top prizes at the prestigious London Press Club Awards 2025.
Dubbed by compere and BBC broadcaster Riz Lateef as “The Oscars” of the journalism industry, the awards ceremony was hosted at Stationers’ Hall near St Paul’s on Wednesday.
Photojournalist Sir Don McCullin was handed the prize for Londoner of the Year by royal correspondent Robert Jobson.
Receiving his prize, Sir Don said: “In 1961, I went to Berlin with one camera and a few rolls of film. I went back with photos to the Observer newspaper where I worked for just 15 guineas a week.
“I love photography. It’s tormented me, it’s driven me to situations that no normal person would go to and it’s educated me far more than where I grew up.”
Sir Don was recognised for his contributions to journalism which have included shocking and devastating war photography in Vietnam, Northern Ireland, and Africa.
The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen was awarded Broadcaster of the Year as the broadcasting house’s primary war correspondent.
Most recently, he was praised for his coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The BBC picked up three more prizes, with industry titans Chris Mason, Laura Scott, and Sue Mitchell all receiving high praise for their contributions to politics, sport, and investigations respectively.
The highly coveted Press Media Title of the Year was awarded to The Times. Times Journalist Alistair Osbourne was also awarded Business Journalist of the Year.
The national daily newspaper was also nominated for seven other awards, including Political Journalist of the Year, Showbiz Journalist of the Year, and Podcast of the Year for its new podcast series The General & The Journalist.
The Journalist of the Year Award was handed to Stephen Moyes of The Sun and the Scoop of the Year was won by David Williams & Sam Greenhill of the Daily Mail for their work on the secret Afghan airlift super-injunction.
Allison Phillips, former editor of the Daily Mirror, was awarded the Edgar Wallace Award. She was recognised for her work in exposing Partygate and examining the collapse of the Boris Johnson administration.
A special award was also given to Anna Botting, chief presenter at Sky News, for her services to journalism and charity.
Full list of winners
Press Media Title of the Year: The Times
Sports Journalist of the Year: Laura Scott, BBC
Specialist Journalist of the Year: Stephen Wright, Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday
Showbusiness Journalist of the Year: Clemmie Moodie, The Sun
Business Journalist of the Year: Alastair Osbourne, The Times
Broadcaster of the Year: Jeremy Bowen, BBC News
Political Journalist of the Year: Chris Mason, BBC
Journalist of the Year: Stephen Moyes, The Sun
Scoop of the Year: David Williams & Sam Greenhill, Daily Mail, Secret Afghan airlift super-injunction
Podcast of the Year: Ukraine: The Latest, The Telegraph
Hugh Cudlipp Award for Campaigning Journalism: Sue Mitchell, BBC Investigations Unit, The Grave Robbers
