For the second year running, the website gained enough votes from readers over the past month, to make it to the final in London.

Founded in 2013 CitiBlog aims to give journalism students the valuable work experience they need in order to break into the competitive industry while still studying.

Over the years, despite working on a budget of zero CitiBlog now averages 50,000 readers a month and has surpassed the 1,000,000 mark since its creation making them recognised rivals to other local news outlets.

Liam Andrews, CitiBlog editor and UCMK journalism graduate said: “Thank you so much to everybody that voted for us, we appreciate it so much.

“We’re over the moon to reach the final again and knowing we have the support of Milton Keynes is overwhelming.”

CitiBlog has been nominated in the PR, Media, Marketing and Communication category.

Jon Boyle, Lecturer in Journalism at UCMK said: “This is fantastic news for CitiBlog and very well deserved.

“All of our Journalism students at UCMK have to do work placements so they are fully equipped to take their first steps in the industry when they graduate.

"Our most recent graduates enjoyed successful work experience spells at the BBC, the Press Association, the Milton Keynes Citizen, MK News, the MK Dons press office, Coral TV and MKFM, among others, so they will be real assets to the companies they work for.

“In addition UCMK journalism students are still able to gain valuable experience, working for CitiBlog.”

The CitiBlog initiative has spread; journalism students based at the Luton campus run CitiBlog Luton while a final year journalism student based in Luton has started up CitiBlog Northampton

There was further good news for Bedfordshire when the University’s Marketing Department found out that its blog had also been shortlisted as a finalist in the Education category.

The winners will be revealed at an awards evening to be held at the Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster on 29 April.