LONDON: Kuba Shand-Baptiste, a journalist on The Independent ‘Voices’ news beat, has been named as the first winner of the Barbara Blake-Hannah Award for an up-and-coming journalist from a black minority ethnic background. The awards ceremony hosted by the Press Gazette was held on December 9 in a virtual event and Blake-Hannah, 79, announced that Shand-Baptiste had won the prize via a video call from her home in Kingston, Jamaica. Blake-Hannah said: “I’m so honoured to have this award presented by Press Gazette in my name and I’m so pleased to let you know you are the first wearer of this title. It was the unanimous decision by the judges. I just saw your work and picked you as my number one, but they know your work and it was a unanimous choice. They spoke so very highly of you.