The 2011 Newspaper Awards opened for entry today with a new Newspaper App of the Year category.

The awards, which have been running since 2002, cover 20 categories rewarding excellence in both printed and digital media, also including Regional Newspaper of the Year, National Newspaper of the Year and International Newspaper of the Year.

Although this year will see the first winner within the Newspaper App of the Year award, the Guardian's iPhone app was winner of the Fuji Film Grand Prix prize last year.

"It may have been one of the most challenging years the industry has had to face but it was also a year when the power and influence of the media came to the fore," awards director Gary Cullum said in a release.

"The 2011 Newspaper Awards will give the industry the chance to celebrate all that is good in the industry and provides a platform to a highly successful new decade."

Last year's winners included the Daily Telegraph as National Newspaper of the Year, the Sunday Times as Weekend Newspaper of the Year and the Guardian as the winner of the Best Use of Citizen/Community Journalism for its G20 coverage.

The closing date for this year's entries is 18 March and the winners will be announced on 24 May.

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