bunkered wins trio of prizes at PPA Scotland Awards

bunkered scored three major wins at this week’s Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Scotland awards, with deputy editor Michael McEwan named both Writer of the Year as well as Columnist of the Year. bunkered as a whole also scooped one of the biggest awards, Consumer Title of the Year.

Organised by the PPA to ‘recognise the talent, creativity, and innovation across specialist media’ 2023 is bunkered’s most successful year at the awards.

Judges singled out Michael for his prizes, praising his “strong tone of voice with a fun and informative style,” and that his work in the magazine and online is “engaging, witty, informative, and sincere”. They described his writing style as “engaging, personal, insightful, funny, and incredibly well-researched” and that he “clearly understands his subject and audience.”

Naming bunkered as ‘Consumer Title of the Year’, judges said it demonstrates “total understanding of its target audience” and also praise its strategic pivot from being a ‘Scottish golf magazine’ to a ‘golf magazine from Scotland’. This pivot has meant that this year the magazine is selling on newsstands in England and Wales for the first time, better serving the golf community at large.

bunkered editor Bryce Ritchie says: “It’s wonderful to receive recognition for what we’re doing and to be named Consumer Title of the Year is testament to the work that the team put in for readers day in day out. For Michael to pick up not just Columnist of the Year but Writer of the Year too shows that he’s one of the best sports writers in the country.

“He brings a unique flair to his work and you can spot a Michael McEwan story a mile away, such is the highly engaging and distinctive style with which he writes. He’s also extraordinarily versatile. He tackles controversy with no agenda other than to find the truth, and approaches sensitive content with compassion.

“He is a wonderful storyteller and a gifted writer who intimately understands the needs, challenges and questions our readers face and pose. The fact that we receive more correspondence about his work than anything else is proof of that.”

The awards round off an exceptional year for bunkered, increasing its frequency to ten issues a year, expanding into new territories, taking the number one slot for UK golf podcasts and hosting its first ever live podcast.