Nicola Sturgeon has won the top accolade in The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year Awards, in recognition of a remarkable period which saw her become the first female First Minister.

Ms Sturgeon received the prize at the 16th annual Herald awards just hours after she was sworn in as the country's top politician.

It meant the SNP leader followed last year's winner, her mentor Alex Salmond, in becoming a three-time winner of the honour, which she also took in 2012 and 2008.

Although the SNP lost the referendum two months ago, the aftermath has been extraordinary for the party with membership rising by 60,000 to more than 85,000, unprecedented poll ratings and Ms Sturgeon addressing huge audiences on a speaking tour which will reach the 12,000 capacity Hydro in Glasgow this Saturday.

Ms Sturgeon was up against Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie, both of whom were seen as having had excellent referendum campaigns. There were also awards last night at Prestonfield House hotel in Edinburgh for both former prime minister Gordon Brown, honoured as Best Scot at Westminster, and his former Chancellor Alistair Darling, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work during the 2008 financial crisis and as head of Better Together.

Video by Frederik Subei

Herald editor Magnus Llewellin said 2014 had been an incredible year where for once the hype really was justified, with landmark anniversaries, massive sporting showpieces and political upheaval.

He said of the Commonwealth Games: "From the crowds who lined the streets to cheer the baton relay - to Kylie at the closing ceremony, Glasgow 2014 surpassed all expectations."

With SNP and Green membership surging it was still hard to judge exactly who were the real winners and losers in the referendum, he said, adding: "From the start of the referendum campaign The Herald set out to give both sides a fair hearing and, in the main, I think we succeeded.

"We have also made clear our belief that it's now time for the Scottish Parliament to take on much greater powers and much greater responsibilities.

"We have not been too prescriptive but we believe, as a general principle, that Holyrood should raise most of the money it spends, that benefits should be devolved where possible and councils should be empowered."

The Herald editor also paid particular tribute to Mr Salmond, Ms Sturgeon, Johann Lamont and Alistair Darling, as well as to the late Margo MacDonald MSP and to the late Angus Macleod, Scotland Editor of The Times.

Video extras: The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year Awards

Ms Sturgeon left with two prizes, seeing off the challenge of External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf and Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser to win the e-Politician of the Year award in recognition of the growing use of social media as a campaigning tool.

The Best Scot at Westminster, supported by Virgin Trains, was contested by three Labour MPs: Dame Anne Begg, nominated for campaigning on the impact on disabled people of benefit changes; Mr Darling for his work at Better Together; and Gordon Brown for his dramatic late intervention in the referendum campaign.

It was Mr Brown who took the award in recognition of the importance of "The Vow" in swaying doubters back to the pro-Union camp with its pledge of more powers for Holyrood.

The Donald Dewar Debater of the Year Award, supported by NVT, was won by Ms Davidson, which was particularly impressive in that she saw off the challenge not just of Mr Harvie but of Mr Salmond himself.

Ms Davidson was judged to have grown into the role of party leader with contributions which were sharp, articulate and which benefited from the Tories enjoying the referendum and its outcome.

The Committee MSP of the Year award was hotly contested by Murdo Fraser, Conservative convener of the Energy, Enterprise and Tourism Committee which held Ministers up to scrutiny of renewables and Christine Grahame, the SNP Justice convener who was no party patsy when it came to issues such as policing and the abolition of corroboration.

But it was Labour's Hugh Henry, a previous winner of the top award, who took the committee award this time for his convenership of Public Audit, the spending watchdog committee which regularly gave the government a nasty bite.

The Community MSP of the Year award was won by the independent Highlands MSP John Finnie.

Labour MSP Patricia Ferguson was nominated for her continuing work seeking justice for those involved in the Stockline factory explosion in Maryhill, Glasgow. Her party colleague Duncan McNeil fought to save the Ferguson Shipyard in Port Glasgow.

But it was Mr Finnie, a former police officer who resigned from the SNP over its policy change on Nato membership, who won the award for his campaign, first highlighted in The Herald, against the practice of armed police being tasked with attending routine events. Police Scotland eventually agreed to rethink the policy.

Two Conservative MSPs, Gavin Brown and Murdo Fraser are regular contenders for the Politics in Business award, supported by RBS and recognising those politicians who do most to encourage pro-enterprise policies and links between parliament and the business community.

But this year they were pipped by the SNP's Fergus Ewing, whose work as Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism was recognised by the judging panel.

The category of Public Campaign or Campaigner of the Year, sponsored by Thompsons Solicitors, is aimed at non-politicians and as always was hotly contested this year.

Actor Matthew McVarish, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, has been walking 10,000 miles across 28 European countries in support of the Stop the Silence Campaign.

Women for Independence organised more than 50 local groups across Scotland during the referendum campaign seeking to engage women in the democratic process.

Gordon Aikman, a former Labour press officer, was working for Better Together when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at the age of 29.

This prompted him to campaign for more specialist nurses and for the outlawing of personal care charges for those fighting the condition.

But the award went to the work of three charities, Barnardos, Who Cares? Scotland and the Aberlour Childcare Trust.

This was for their combined efforts to persuade the Government that a planned Bill on the rights of young people would be a lost opportunity as first proposed.

They helped redraft it to ensure that young people leaving care have a right to continued support up to the age of 21 instead of 16 as it used to be.

However, the fundraising efforts of Mr Aikman to help fellow sufferers of MND were also recognised when he was presented with a Judges' Award.

The Scottish Local Politician of the Year award went to Glasgow Council leader, Councillor Gordon Matheson.

The award marked in particular the triumph of the Commonwealth Games for Glasgow.

In winning the award for the second time in his career he held off the challenge of Dundee Council leader Ken Guild and the consortium of councils who were campaigning together for the City Deal.