I WRITE to our readers with some positive news this afternoon, as The National has been recognised for some of our team's brilliant work over the last year. 

Our newspaper has received three nominations at the annual Scottish Press Awards, including a nod for the prestigious Reporter of the Year category. 

We're thrilled to see our commitment to strong foreign news coverage recognised as our Foreign Affairs Editor David Pratt has been shortlisted for Reporter of the Year. 

David's articles, which appear twice per week, are always must-reads – getting under the surface of major world news and offering his expert analysis. 

His excellent 2023 reporting on Gaza, Ukraine, US politics and much more has no doubt played a major role in securing this important nomination. We are very lucky to have David as a part of our team. 

Elsewhere, our brilliant political reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie has been shortlisted for "Best Coverage of a Live Event" for the second year in a row, this time for her work on the Rutherglen by-election.

READ MORE: This is what happened at the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election

Abbi led our coverage which brought readers a live blog, a livestream from the count, behind-the-scenes reporting on a special podcast, and lots of exclusive news back in October. We are very pleased to see her hard work recognised, especially given the digs she had to put up with from Anas Sarwar that night ...

Finally, we are very happy to see our Sir Ken Starmer front page – which sees Keir presented as the "amazing plastic politician" – take a nomination for Front Page of the Year.

The National:

Myself and our Sunday editor Stewart Ward were struck with inspiration after seeing Greta Gerwig's Barbie on opening night, and the rest is history. 

Well done to our brilliant team for their nominations, and good luck at the awards night next month.