bunkered scoops hat-trick of gongs at PPA Scotland Awards

Please excuse the self-indulgence but we’ve got some news we’d like to share.

We are delighted to announce that bunkered has secured three awards at the 2023 PPA Scotland Awards.

The glitzy bash – widely considered the Oscars of the Scottish publishing industry – was staged at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow last night and ended with us scooping a hat-trick of gongs.

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

Our deputy editor Michael McEwan was named both ‘Writer of the Year’ and ‘Columnist of the Year’, with our magazine being crowned ‘Consumer Title of the Year’ for only the second time and the first since 2004.

Judges singled out Michael for his “strong tone of voice with a fun and informative style”, adding 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.”

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Naming bunkered as ‘Consumer Title of the Year’, judges said it demonstrates “total understanding of its target audience” and also praised its strategic pivot from being a ‘Scottish golf magazine’ to a ‘golf magazine from Scotland’.

This strategic shift has resulted in bunkered being sold on newsstands in England and Wales for the first time this year, better serving the golf community at large.

bunkered editor Bryce Ritchie remarked: “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.

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“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.”

Michael added: “It’s deeply gratifying to be acknowledged with these three awards. On a personal level, I’m thrilled to have been named ‘Writer of the Year’ and ‘Columnist of the Year’ but I’m very much aware I only get the opportunity and platform to write what I do because of a fantastic team that works on bunkered each and every day.

“Without our product developers, our designers, our sales force, our production department, our brand and marketing gurus, and of course my editorial colleagues, I would have nowhere to write, so these awards are really a reflection of the exceptional team we have built.

“At the heart of all of this is Bryce, who has done an extraordinary job in what has been a transformational year for the bunkered brand. These awards simply motivate us to deliver better and better content, and make 2024 a huge step up on what has been a terrific 2023. Thank you to everybody who reads my nonsense. It means great deal.”