The Telegraph & Argus has been handed two major awards for its pioneering internet initiatives.

This website was named best of the year at the prestigious BT Northern Media Awards ceremony in York. And in a rare double accolade, Digital Content Editor David Behrens was named Internet Journalist of the Year. It is the first time such an award has been presented.

Since its relaunch last summer, This Is Bradford has grown to become the pre-eminent internet source for local information.

The BT judges called it "a model site" and said it "shone out from the field".

They added it was "lively, active, polished and very simple to navigate.

"It scored highly for its content which was intelligent, witty, interactive and, in large part, tailored just for the net," they said.

The judges had special praise for our online curry guide, and also said: "News, sport and features were all handled with flair, but above all the site oozed energy and good ideas."

This Is Bradford, which last month registered more than half a million 'hits', beat competition from across the north-west and north-east of England, as well as Yorkshire, to take the title.

David Behrens, a former TV producer who joined the T&A four years ago, was named Internet Journalist of the Year for his T&A computer column.

The judges said: "One of the difficult tasks faced by all internet journalists is having to explain clearly, with useful information, a medium foreign to many of their readers. No-one managed this better than David Behrens."

T&A editor Perry Austin-Clarke said: "We're thrilled to win these awards. We work hard to ensure our internet services complement our printed products"