Rising media stars praised for their variety of skills
Now in their 13th year, the awards recognise outstanding achievement in the fields of student print and broadcast journalism, photography, animation, production, and web content.
Two of the top awards at this year’s event were sponsored and judged by the Irish Examiner.
Journalist of the Year, which was judged by Irish Examiner editor Tim Vaughan, was presented to Tommy Gavin.
Mr Vaughan praised three articles which the Trinity College student wrote for University Times.
“He displayed a confidence, a clarity of thought and an imagination more usually associated with established and experienced professional writers,” he said.
“He approached the three, very different subject matters with intelligence and a distinctive voice, drawing in the reader with seemingly effortless ease.”
UCC student Stephen Barry won the Sports Writer of the Year award which was judged by Irish Examiner assistant sports editor Terry Reilly.
He praised the writer’s ability to unearth great stories, his in-depth understanding of subject matter, and the affinity he formed with those he was interviewing.
Other award winners at last night’s event at the Ballsbridge Hotel included Trinity News which picked up Newspaper of the Year, Janusz Biarda of Griffith College Dublin who won News Photographer of the Year, and Dublin Institute of Technology student Roxanne Mauck who won Website of the Year for www.emigrationisle.com.
Emer Sugrue and Aoife Valentine together picked up Editor of the Year for UCD’s University Observer.
This year’s awards attracted more than 1,500 entries from student journalists in colleges all around the country.
Colman Byrne, managing director of oxygen.ie, which organised the awards said: “We are thrilled with the increased participation. More colleges are taking part than ever and we are getting entries from non-traditional media colleges which is great to see.
“The increase in entries proves there is a need for an event such as this to recognise and encourage the efforts of student journalists.”
