TESS journalist Emma Seith was last week named Feature Writer of the Year in the annual awards organised by the Periodical Publishers Association Scotland (PPA).

The judges set demanding standards, looking for the work of individuals which “truly enhances” the publication and shows original thinking and versatility in style.

Emma was said to have “an original approach to all her subjects, writing with the observant eye of a reporter yet the descriptive style of a novelist. By the end of her first sentence, she has captured the reader’s attention.”

Neil Munro, editor of The TESS, said: “This is a thoroughly deserved award. Although Emma has only been with us for a relatively short time, she has made a major contribution to our pages, with her flair, commitment and passion for everything she does.

“This has been a golden award-winning period for The TESS, made possible by a superb team effort, which Emma has `truly enhanced’.”

At the awards ceremony held in Glasgow’s Radisson Hotel, regular freelance writer Jean McLeish was also nominated for Feature Writer of the Year and the paper itself shortlisted for Magazine of the Year, an accolade which it won in 2008 after being “highly commended” in 2007.

Last year, The TESS won the Editor of the Year title and a “highly commended” award for journalist Henry Hepburn.