SUNDAY National journalist Nan Spowart has won an award for coverage of asylum and refugee issues in Scotland.

Spowart won in the features category for her piece titled: Aberfeldy community rallies to help Ukrainian refugee community.

The Refugee Festival Scotland Media Awards honour the work of journalists covering refugee and asylum stories. The ceremony takes place during Refugee Festival Scotland and is organised by Scottish Refugee Council in partnership with the National Union of Journalists.

Elsewhere in the winners, three former National staff have won awards for their work in their new roles. Kirsteen Paterson picked up first place in the news category, and Angus Cochrane and Karin Goodwin were joint winners for their work for the BBC and The Ferret respectively in the investigation category.

Scottish Refugee Council chief executive Sabir Zazai described this year’s shortlist as “an impressive and crucial contribution” to the dialogue around people seeking protection in the UK.

He added: “It has never been more important to report to tell the stories of people seeking sanctuary in a responsible way that puts the people behind the headlines first.”

The winners were announced at a ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday 15 June. 

The awards are part of Refugee Festival Scotland, which runs from 16-25 June. The annual arts and culture festival celebrates Scotland’s growing diversity and showcases the talents of people with refugee backgrounds. More than 120 events will take place across Scotland.