THE Citizen has won an award in a prestigious competition in which hundreds of newspapers throughout the country took part.

We were named runners up in the Free Newspaper of the Year awards organised by our parent company, Newsquest Media Ltd.

The judges -- a panel of distinguished journalists -- commented that the paper was "good at packing in the news... Every centimetre of space was used."

The awards were presented at a special conference held in Southampton.

The Citizen received a certificate to mark the achievement.

Citizen Editor Alec Stuttard said: "Obviously I am delighted that our hard work has been recognised at a national level. It is a tribute to the dedication of our team."

Kevin Young, Group Editor of the Citizens in Lancashire, commented: "It is an excellent achievement, with the judges particularly noting the strong use of available space.

"The competition was very tough so it is something in which the Blackpool staff can all justifiably take pride."