BBC's Laura Kuenssberg named journalist of the year

Laura Kuenssberg was praised for her work reporting on the EU referendum

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg has been named journalist of the year at the Press Gazette's British Journalism Awards.

Kuenssberg became political editor last July and has been at the forefront of the corporation's Brexit coverage.

The judges said: "In a tumultuous year [Kuenssberg] rose to the challenge and made the story of Brexit her own."

The Guardian and BBC Panorama were named joint winners of investigation of the year for the Panama Papers scandal.

Abdalaziz Alhamza received a standing ovation as he picked up his award

The Marie Colvin Award was given to Syrian citizen journalists reporting for the Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently group.

Abdalaziz Alhamza, one of the site's founders, picked up the award, saying: "Our work shows that we can fight arms with words, and that ultimately is the only way to defeat them, and Isis knows it."

The judges said of their decision: "Given what those people have done and the price they have paid, it would be odd to put anyone ahead of them."

'Immense bravery'

Channel 4 journalist Waad Al-Kateab, currently trapped in Aleppo, Syria, won the foreign journalism prize, with judges praising her "sensitive, visceral reports" that showed "immense bravery".

Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford told the audience the journalism industry faced "a constant fight for survival".

He said: "The work on display helps explain why what we do is important - and why it should be cherished and encouraged.

"This event aims to bang the drum for the best of what we do as the British industry, which holds everyone else to account."

British Journalism Awards: The winners

• Local heroes award: Andy Richards, Birmingham Mail

• Business, finance and economics journalism: Simon Goodley, The Guardian

• Specialist journalism: Shaun Lintern, Health Service Journal

• Politics journalism: Rachel Sylvester, The Times

• Sports journalism: Matt Lawton, Daily Mail

• Science and technology journalist: Billy Kenber, The Times

• Campaign of the year: Martyn Halle, Sunday People

• Popular journalism: Dan Jones, The Sun

• Scoop of the year: Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph

• Photojournalism: Philip Ide, Mail on Sunday

• Digital Innovation: TheGuardian.com

• Investigation of the year: The Guardian and BBC Panorama for The Panama Papers

• New journalist of the year: Louise Callaghan, The Sunday Times

• Foreign affairs journalism: Waad Al-Khatib, Channel 4 News

• Journalist of the year: Laura Kuenssberg, BBC

• The Marie Colvin Award: Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently