Some 130 guests attended the ceremony at Norwich University of the Arts, which was hosted by BBC One Look East presenter Stewart White and ITV Anglia Tonight presenter Becky Jago.

Whiteley, who works on the BBC One regional current affairs strand Inside Out East, was named Best On Screen Personality, while the same channel’s Look East – Norwich reporters, Fox and Milner, were the Television Journalist of the Year and Best New Talent, respectively.

“It was fantastic to see such a glamorous and diverse gathering of the region’s brightest and best talent, celebrating the achievements of our winners and nominees. A huge thank you to the Norwich University of the Arts, which provided the perfect setting,” said RTS East Chair Nikki O’Donnell.

In another triumph for the regional BBC news and current affairs base, the Best Production Craft Skills award was made to BBC East’s Martin Giles. The RTS East judges said the cameraman had achieved “a very high standard, with creative use of filters, spotless composition and high quality pictures”.

In the News and Current Affairs categories, Sarah Cooper from ITV News Anglia took home the Best Current Affairs Feature award. “This was a very interesting and well researched item. The personal touches in the story made it stand out from all the entries,” said the judges.

The Best News Programme award went to The Murder of Arek Jozwik (Look East – Norwich), which the judges described as “a thoughtful and comprehensive follow-up to the random killing of a Polish immigrant in Harlow”.

The Best Factual Programme award went to The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich, which was made by Norwich-based indie, Tin Can Island. “A well-produced, well-executed documentary, with rich and well-shot content and a strong, clear and engaging narrative,” said the judges.

Norwich production company Forward picked up two prizes at the ceremony – the Diversity and Best Short Film awards – for Giles Duley: #MoreThanAnImage, which explores the power of photography.

“An elegant and beautifully shot film. It is personal and inspirational; well produced and entrancing to watch,” said the judges.

Laurence Cawley won the Best Digital Content award for his work on BBC East’s Treasure Capitals and Leighton Park School (Eye Film) collected the award for Best Promotional Programme.

The RTS East Centre was re-launched in November last year. “We are all confident that our awards will continue to grow and become the showcase for the East’s creative media industry and the brilliant new talent the region has to offer,” said O’Donnell.