'Independent' writers win prestigious awards

Two writers from The Independent have been named Journalist of the Year this week.

Anna Pavord, who has written about gardening for The Independent since 1986, has been named Journalist of the Year 2002 by the Garden Writers' Guild.

The judges commended her ability to write a column which "full of facts, details and information – but not so much as to overpower her writing style". She is the author of several books, including the bestselling The Tulip.You can read her column every Saturday in The Independent Magazine.

Michael Jackson was named Beer Writer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers for the third time. The chairman of the judges, Rupert Ponsonby, described his knowledge as "encyclopedic".

Jackson's work for The Independent has on previous occasions won him such awards as Whisky Writer and Drinks Writer of the Year.