The Sunday Times dominated the British Journalism Awards 2013 at the Stationers’ Hall in London last night (December 2).

They won four awards – more than any other title.

Michael Gillard of The Sunday Times was awarded the prestigious Journalist of the Year.

The judges unanimously voted for Gillard’s 11-year investigation into the criminal activities of David Hunt.

The award was the second success of the night for Gillard and the Insight team at The Sunday Times after they also scooped Investigation of the Year.

The event was organised by the Press Gazette and its editor Dominic Ponsford said: “The judges felt that Gillard edged this prize because of the skill, determination and bravery it took to see this story through.

“The Sunday Times succeeded where the collected forces of law enforcement in this country had failed – defeating Hunt in a court of law and obtaining a measure of justice for his victims.”

Unfortunately, Gillard could not attend the ceremony as he was in South America on assignment.

More than 300 journalists entered the awards – which were free to enter in the 11 open categories – where six of the best entrants made it on to a shortlist.

Hala Jaber of the Sunday Times won the Foreign Affairs Journalist of the Year award for her reporting from Syria.

The judges said: “Her piece about the Assad regime general was one of the few pieces of journalism that tried to get us into the mind of the government side of the conflict – and did so critically.”

Campaign of the Year was another success for The Sunday Times with their Safe Weekend Care coverage winning the award. The series of stories called for a safe seven-day NHS.

According to the judges: “This campaign was well-presented, co-ordinated and presented from beginning to end. It was backed up by great reporting and research and has succeeded in getting the problem addressed at the highest level.”

There was also a double triumph for The Times.

The late Richard Beeston received the special Marie Colvin award for raising the reputation of journalism and providing inspiration for fellow reporters.

Beeston died in May this year of cancer, aged 50. However, the former foreign editor at The Times did not allow bouts of chemotherapy to prevent him from reporting from the frontline in Syria. During his career, he exposed Saddam Hussien’s gassing of Kurdish civilians in 1998 and ethnic cleansing by Serb forces in Bosnia during the early 1990s.

Richard Pohle of The Times won the Photojournalist of the Year gong for his images including the anti-fracking protest at Balcombe, West Sussex and British soldiers taking cover at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan.