The start of 2026 has seen SEVEN current and former apprentice journalists being shortlisted for the prestigious NCTJ Awards for Excellence.
All have been trained at PA Media Academy – in partnership with their employers who include the BBC, S&P Global, Times Radio, The Times and the Telegraph.
They beat 550 other entries to be nominated. And five out of six apprentices shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year were trained at PA Media Academy.
Winners will be revealed at the NCTJ’s awards event on March 24 at The Brighton Dome.
These amazing apprentices are as follows:
Joe Harston, The Times apprentice – Trainee, Sport Journalism category
“I am delighted to be shortlisted for this award, less than a year since starting at The Times and Sunday Times.
“It has been a whirlwind 11 months since moving from the North East to London for this role, but the opportunities have been amazing. It has taken me from Wembley to Wimbledon and allowed me to interview some fascinating people. I cannot thank the sports desk enough for their guidance so far, and my teachers at PA for their support and advice while working towards my NCTJ diploma.“
Marcus Boothe, BBC Radio Bristol apprentice – Videojournalism category
“My story was about the UK Beatboxing Championship, which was the first story I had ever self-filmed for the BBC. I pitched the 20th anniversary and the significance that this is a worldwide competition in Bristol to my editor and got it agreed.
“I didn’t have a strong human-interest angle at this point, but something told me – If I speak to as many people I can, I know I will find an amazing story. Eventually, I met Simon Olivier, from Bristol; he told me he had entered the competition 17 times. This created the strong human-interest angle.”
Oscar Frost, Telegraph editorial apprentice. Apprentice of the Year category
“To be shortlisted as apprentice of the year is a real honour, and it feels wonderful to be rewarded for my hard work over the last year and a half. It is also a privilege to be recognised for an award like this as a production journalist, as reporters aren’t the only ones keeping the news cycle going!
“The skills I gained at PA Media Academy and the opportunity to work with a plethora of desks at The Telegraph have been transformative for my career, and I’m very lucky to have been able to undertake such a fulfilling programme.”
Alex Osborne, BBC News presenter and journalist. Apprentice of the Year category
“I’m thrilled at being nominated after all the hard work, alongside the commitments and 4am starts of the day job. Despite the challenges, I’m so grateful to the BBC and PA Media Academy for supporting me through the apprenticeship. It has equipped me with the skills I craved for years, enabled me to deliver many fascinating stories and facilitated a transition into a career which is so enriching, rewarding and endlessly different.”
Chad Kibuka, S&P Associate Price Reporter. Apprentice of the Year category
“Being nominated for the NCTJ Apprentice of the Year award is a thrilling way to round off my journey at PA Media Academy, and it’s a genuine honour for me to have my hard work celebrated alongside such talented journalists.”
Hannah Quinn, Times Radio producer. Apprentice of the Year category
“It’s such a delight to be nominated. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some really amazing people and feel that I’ve learned so much over the past two years. I’m very excited to see what the next chapter of my journalism career holds.”
Lydia Wilson, BBC World Service journalist. Apprentice of the Year category
“I was so surprised to see my name on the nominations list and am so pleased that I will be attending the ceremony with some amazingly talented journalists who are also my friends, thanks to our NCTJ training together. Over the course of my apprenticeship, I was able to properly dig deep into topics I am truly passionate about, and the entire course really pushed me to aim high with my work and its reach.”
