Runners and riders from stage, screen and social media are among those to have been shortlisted for the Mind Media Awards 2018

Hopefuls in broadcast, print and digital media have been hand picked by the charity to celebrate the role they have played in responsibly reporting mental health issues over the past 12 months.

The shortlist will be whittled down to 11 winners in categories including Journalist of the Year, News & Current Affairs, Digital Champion, Radio, Drama, Entertainment, Documentary, Student Journalist of the Year, Publication and Soap.

New for this year’s awards is the Podcast of the Year category. Nominees are now in the hands of a diverse panel of judges, each either having had experience of mental health issues or producing their own work championing mental health in the media.

Happiful Magazine is amongst those shortlisted in the Publication of the Year category, after launching in March 2017.

Rebecca Thair, editor of the magazine, said: “Our team is so thrilled to have been shortlisted for the publication category at the Mind Media Awards this year.

“Last year, we were lucky enough to attend and support the event, and to be nominated this year alongside so many incredible people and teams doing wonderful things to break down the stigma around mental health, spread more awareness and understanding, and make a genuine difference for people, we couldn’t be more proud.

“Happiful may be a magazine with a small team at its core, but what we think makes us special is all the amazing contributions, stories and advice we get to share with our readers from a community of mental health advocates.

“We’re so pleased that this nomination enables us to recognise that, and all the hard work so many people put into every issue.”

Nominees include The Mental Health Marathon - the world's first 24-hour continuous mental health broadcast from Radio City Talk, Zoe Ball's Hardest Road Home Sport Relief challenge.

This year's shortlist was also the first to feature Netflix in the documentary category.

The BBC will also have a strong presence at the awards. BBC Radio 5 live, BBC News, My Mind and Me, BBC Newsbeat, Radio 1 and 1Xtra and documentary Girls on the Edge are all included on this year's list.

The inaugural podcast of the year entries include Mentally Yours from Metro.co.uk, as well as the 2017 ‘Making a Difference’ winner Bryony Gordon and her Mad World podcast.

Since its launch, Mind has reported a record-breaking number of award entries.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of the charity, highlighted the focus on young people and mental health, and believes judges will face a difficult decision picking winners this year.

He said: “When we first launched the Mind Media Awards it was with the intention of increasing coverage of mental health. Entries have doubled in the past five years showing that mental health is now firmly on the agenda.

“A big theme of this year’s entries was mental health in young people, and we have also received a number of entries involving people with severe and enduring mental health problems such as schizophrenia, a condition not always covered accurately or sensitively by the mainstream media.

“Mind continues to see the impact of this coverage, with more people calling our infoline for help and support and more people accessing the services offered by our local Minds.

“I would like to say thank you to all those who submitted material and to congratulate those who made it to the shortlist. It’s going to be an extremely tough decision for our judges this year.”

The Mind Media Awards will be available to watch via live stream from Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank on Thursday, November 29. More information about how to tune in will be available on Mind's website.

Photo courtesy Adi Goldstein on Unsplash