The National Student Media Awards 2026 are proud to welcome European Movement Ireland as an official category sponsor, sponsoring the “European Commission Award for Journalism Relating to European Issues” award.
As Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July 2026, student journalists are invited to enter the European Commission category for Journalism relating to European Issues.
The European Commission Category for Journalism Relating to European Issues award recognises the best article on EU affairs published in a student publication. The winning journalist also receives a cash prize of €1,000.
Reporting Themes
Below is the list of areas that your article could incorporate. You must include at least one.
- Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026
- Security and defence
- Democracy and Citizen Engagement
- EU Enlargement
- The EU’s Role in the World
- Environment and Climate
- Europe and the Digital Age
- Rural Development, Agriculture, and the CAP
Rules
- Submissions may be in print, online or audio format (including radio and podcasts),
- Submissions must be published within 12 months of the entry deadline, and must be submitted in English.
- The competition is open to all third-level students in Ireland, with one entry permitted per student.
- The closing date for submissions is 16 March 2026.
- Five students will be shortlisted, with the winning journalist announced at the 2026 SMEDIAs ceremony in April.
- Entries must include both a scan of the publication and a word file containing the article if written or both the link to published audio file and the original recording.
Judging
There will be five students shortlisted, and the winning student will be announced at the SMEDIAs Ceremony in 2026
A jury will select the winning article based on the following criteria:
- Research and knowledge demonstrated of the chosen topic
- Originality and creativity
- Quality of writing and ease of reading
- Spelling and grammar
The deadline for submission of entries, as outlined in the Student Marketing Network rules, is the 16th March 2026.