ALEX Salmond has been crowned The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year, becoming the first three-time winner in the history of the awards.
The First Minister won the prize in 2007, months after the SNP formed a minority Government and again four years later when his party swept to overall control at Holyrood.
In winning the accolade, the First Minister saw off the challenge of his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon and Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick.
During the ceremony, a lifetime achievement award was given to veteran Nationalist Sir George Reid, who is recovering from surgery for bladder cancer. Of the other individual awards, three were won by Labour politicians, two by the SNP and one by the Greens. The homelessness charity Shelter Scotland won Public Campaign or Campaigner of the Year award.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill won the award for Political Impact of the Year, seeing through the merger of the country's police forces. The award for Best Scot at Westminster went to Douglas Alexander, the Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South and Shadow Foreign Secretary. Environment secretary Richard Lochead won The Herald Politics and Business Award. The contest for Donald Dewar Debater of the Year was won by Labour leader Johann Lamont.
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