'The Independent' is named Financial Journal of the Year

The Independent was named Financial Journal of the Year in the annual Wincott awards, widely regarded as the Oscars for British financial journalism.

The Independent was named Financial Journal of the Year in the annual Wincott awards, widely regarded as the Oscars for British financial journalism.

The judges said The Independent's business coverage "had adapted outstandingly well to the possibilities of its new compact format, producing day after day a highly readable blend of news stories, analysis and comment, with particular strengths this year in its reporting of industry stories".

Since the award's foundation in 1986, The Independent has won the Wincott Financial Journal of the Year three times, a feat matched only by The Economist. The awards are in memory of the financial journalist, Harold Wincott.

The judges said they looked for a paper that "manages consistently to produce authoritative reporting, attract and retain top writers and find space for reflective pieces as well as cover the day's hot stories".

The Independent's Rachel Stevenson was highly commended in the Young Financial Journalist of the Year awards for her "crisp writing and ability to cover complex issues".

The Independent on Sunday's Sam Dunn won The Personal Finance Journalist award.