First Minister Alex Salmond was last night named Scottish Politician of the Year in recognition of his work which led the SNP to its historic victory at the Scottish Parliament elections in May.

First Minister Alex Salmond was last night named Scottish Politician of the Year in recognition of his work which led the SNP to its historic victory at the Scottish Parliament elections in May.

The MSP for Gordon won the award ahead of his party colleagues Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney at a glittering awards ceremony which was organised by The Herald and held at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh. It was a double victory for the First Minister as earlier in the day he was named Parliamentarian of the Year at a ceremony in London organised by the Spectator magazine. Its judges said that it was "right to salute the man whose brilliant tactics in the Scottish Parliament laid the foundations for an extraordinary victory".

In Edinburgh, actors, writers and broadcasters presented the awards at the annual event, which was hosted by Michael Crow, the political editor of STV.

Gordon Brown was named the Best Scot at Westminster after a year in which he succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister.

The inaugural International Scot Award was given to entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter, who has used his fortune to establish The Hunter Foundation, which helps fund education projects for youngsters in the developing world. The National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch production and The Tartan Army were runners-up.

Independent MSP Margo MacDonald was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work during a political career which has spanned 40 years. Last night Ms MacDonald, who first stood as an independent candidate in the 2003 elections, said she was "embarrassed" to have won the accolade.

The Farepak savers' campaign, which supported thousands of savers who lost an estimated £40m with the collapse of the Christmas hamper scheme, was recognised as the Public Campaign of the Year.

The Haemophilia Forum and ICL Plastics/Stockline Family Support Group were named runners-up.