YOUR Evening Star was celebrating more top awards today - after picking up a series of honours at a glittering ceremony attended by journalists from all over the region.

YOUR Evening Star was celebrating more top awards today - after picking up a series of honours at a glittering ceremony attended by journalists from all over the region.

The paper was rewarded for its quality journalism and campaigning.

Reporter Rebecca Lefort won the category for the Newcomer of the Year, while the Evening Star won the title for Front Page of the Year for “NHS RIP”, designed by graphic artist Jon Elsey as part of our health service campaign.

As demonstrators went to London to protest about the state of the health service the Evening Star decided to capture the moment with an image of powerful words etched into a tombstone.

Judges praised the Star for reinforcing its late-print editions and re-invigorating its website, and a raft of successful campaigns.

From Rebecca's entry, the judges singled out her strong, remarkable and well-written story about a 47st man who she interviewed after he posted a comment on her dieting blog.

The EDF Energy East of England Media Awards were held at the Trinity Rooms at Trinity Park, formerly the Suffolk Showground.

In addition to the two main awards, the Evening Star was highly commended for daily newspaper of the year, and shortlisted for community newspaper.

Health reporter Sarah Gillett was highly commended for print journalist of the year, while Lisa Woollard was commended in the feature writer of the year and daily news journalist of the year categories.

Evening Star editor Nigel Pickover was delighted with the awards.

“This shows our commitment to the community and our pledge is to keep fighting for the people of Ipswich and east Suffolk,” he said.

Derek Davis, of Archant Suffolk Sport, won sports journalist of the year. Archant publishes the Evening Star.

Malcolm Robertson, of Anglia TV, won TV journalist of the year, while BBC East's Inside Out documentary series was TV programme of the year.

The winners were chosen from more than 200 entries - a record for these awards.