Headline of the month winners from the February edition of Press Gazette

Posted by Axegrinder on 23 February 2010 at 14:05
Tags: Headline of the month

Is it me or did the headline writers come back to their desks with a spring in their step this year?

There was certainly no shortage of contenders for Axegrinder’s monthly bottle of whisky – supplied courtesy of Jura single malt.

Here’s the shortlisted finalists:

STORY: Britain slides towards disaster as local authorities run out of grit.

HEADLINE (The Sun)

NO GRIT SHERLOCK

STORY: Pulp fiction star Uma Thurman has landed the role of snake-haired Medusa in a new movie.

HEADLINE: (The Daily Mirror)
UMA’S ADDER NEW SCARE-DO

STORY: Tight-rope walkers in South Korea have walked across the river Han as apart of an annual festival.

HEADLINE: (The Washington Post)
SKYWALKERS IN KOREA CROSS HAN SOLO

STORY: John Scampion re-appointed to the Pensions Regulator

HEADLINE: (Pensions Week)

Scampion chips in at Pensions Regulator.

STORY: The BBC may stop using the weather forecasting services of the Met Office

HEADLINE: (The Sunday Times)

BBC forecast for the Met Office changeable

But as ever there can only be one winner, and the Jura whisky this month goes to the subs’ desk on The Sun for a cryptic headline which sums up the story perfectly, if you think about it!

STORY: Rap star P. DIDDY has blown £220,000 on a luxury car for his teenage son - who does not even have his driving licence.

HEADLINE:

New car Diddy kiddy dumb daddy dough

A bottle of Jura has found its way to Wapping and to spotter John Philips

New Scientist subs’ Headline of the Month triumph

Posted by Axegrinder on 12 January 2010 at 09:55
Tags: Headline of the month

As headline writers’ thoughts turned towards Christmas many of the nominations for the December Headline of the Month competition had a festive theme. Here are Axegrinder’s finalists:

STORY:

School pupils gave their nativity play a modern twist by adopting the role of radio DJs providing up-to-the minute coverage of developments in Bethlehem.

HEADLINE: (The Hartepool Mail)

MARY AND JOSEPH ‘INN DA HOUSE’

STORY:

Tiger Woods was found unconscious after hitting a fire hydrant in his car and apparently being involved in a fracas with his wife.

HEADLINE (The Times)

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN HYDRANT

STORY:

A nativity scene made entirely out of vegetables by farm workers in Tulleys Farm West Sussex has been labelled offensive to Christians.

HEADLINE (Metro)
THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

But there could be  only one winner…

STORY:

A new anklet device used in America can alert the authorities if alcohol-related offenders have breached bail conditions banning them from drinking.

HEADLINE (In the New Scientist)
THE ELECTRONIC FINK THAT WILL SQUEAL IF YOU DRINK

Thanks to Rory Crew, a student journalist at No Sweat journalism training in London, for nominating the winning headline. A bottle of Jura single malt whisky is on its way to him and to the subs desk at the New Scientist.

The deadline for nominations for Headline of the Month nominations to appear in the February edition is Friday 22 January. Please email them to pged@Pressgazette.co.uk

Headline of the month victory for Wembley and Kingsbury Times

Posted by Axegrinder on 8 December 2009 at 10:26
Tags: Headline of the month, Headlline of the month

This month’s headline of the month postbag included an eclectic bunch of offerings. Here are Axegrinder’s favourites:

The Times

Story: Andrew Billen’s review of a warts-and-all BBC biopic of the Enid Blyton starring Helena Bonham-Carter.

Headline: BLIGHT ON ENID

Venue (Bristol what’s on guide)
Story: Kate Macleod tries out the latest health craze to his Bristol – Bikram Yoga.

Headline: BEND IT LIKE BIKRAM

The Times

Story: Matt Rudd tries out an iPhone app that tells you the value of a house by pointing your phone at it.

Headlines: PRICE ON APPLICATION

But this month’s winner is from the Archant-owned Wembley and Kingsbury Times.

Story: A shop owner in Kingsbury has been fined for selling fake Durex condoms.

Headline: JOHNNY ROTTEN.

Thanks to sub editor and reporter Lorraine King for nominating this one and for sports editor Ben Pearce for coming up with the headline.

A bottle of Jura Single malt whisky is its way to you both: Happy Christmas!

The deadline for entries for the January edition is fast approaching, we need them in please by next Wednesday.

Email nominations to pged@pressgazette.co.uk.

Headline heroes: The shortlist and winner for headline of the month

Posted by Axegrinder on 9 October 2009 at 15:05
Tags: Headline of the month, Headlline of the month

Competition is hotting up in Press Gazette’s relaunched Headline of the Month competition, sponsored by Jura single malt whisky.

This month’s contenders were:

Story: A farmer has been given £500,000 to clean up the country air turning pig muck into electricity.

Headline in Metro:

And this little piggy went to spark it.

Story: Alan Duncan is sacked from the Shadow Cabinet after claiming MPs were living “on rations”.

Headline in The Sun:

Dave’s dunked Duncan donut.

Story: A man was jailed for “pleasuring himself” with a muck-spreader.

Headline in The Sun:

You can’t slurry love

Story: Germans and Austrians claim they are not getting enough beans in the cans of Heinz baked beans.

Headline in Metro:

Mean beanz, Heinz!

Story: About the things people leave behind in hotel bedrooms when they check out – including a dog.

Headline in the Daily Echo, Bournemouth:

Left be-hound.

Story: Schools give pupils chocolates to ease their exam nerves.

Headline in The Sun

Exam smarties.

The winner is…And this little piggy went to spark it, written by Metro Scotland editor Kie Miskelly who will receive a bottle of Jura single malt whisky.

The deadline for nominations in the November competition is 23 October.