- Trinity College Dublin are the biggest ever Smedia Award winners with 10 awards for the University
- UCC’s Cathal O’Gara wins the KBC Outstanding Achievement Award for his 6 years of contribution to student media
The 15th KBC National Student Media Awards (the Smedias), organised by Oxygen.ie the student website, and sponsored by KBC Bank Ireland, took place tonight, (Thursday, 16th April) in the Aviva Stadium. This year the awards received over 1,000 entries from student journalists, broadcasters and producers from all across Ireland.
Over 400 students, sponsors and members of the national media, as well as celebrities, gathered to attend the KBC Smedias. Oliver Callan MC’d the event, with celebrity guests and media role models presenting awards including: Claire Byrne, Marty Morrissey, Ursula Halligan, and the Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh.
Trinity College Dublin were the outright winner of the night, scooping 10 awards with The Trinity News newspaper winning Newspaper of the Year, Layout and Design, Web Designer and Website of the Year. While Tn2 Magazine’s Maedhbh McGrath won Editor of the Year.
DCU picked up all 6 of the radio category awards including the Irish language radio show – Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge (Raidió).
Griffith College also won 6 awards, including Sports Photographer, Photographer of the Year, and TV Production.
UCC won 5 awards including the highly contested KBC Outstanding Achievement Award which went to Cathal O’Gara for his 6 years of dedication to student media. UCC’s Motley Magazine picked up Magazine of the Year and the People’s Choice Award, voted for by the public. UCD’s University Observer newspaper won all 3 of the University’s awards winning Journalist of the Year, Features Writer Arts and Pop and Short Story. Last year’s big winners DIT, only picked up 1 award on the night, with journalist Stephanie Costello winning the European Commission award.
Smaller colleges also made their mark at the KBC Smedias. Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology won 3 of the film awards – Best Short Film, Film Script of the Year, and Short Animation of the Year. University of Ulster student Leslie Leung picked up the RTE2 New Voices Award. WIT picked up the award for Irish Language TV – Leiriuchain Teilifise i nGaeilge – Faisnéis & Drámaíocht.
Aidan Power Director of Marketing & Corporate Affairs of KBC said, “KBC Bank is delighted to be associated with such a prestigious event that rewards the hard work of students. As Ireland’s newest, most innovative retail bank, we understand the importance of encouraging students on their chosen career path from an early stage. Once again, the KBC Smedias have received an enormous amount of high quality applications. We were particularly delighted to introduce a new prize category this year, called the ‘KBC Outstanding Achievement Award’ which recognised Ireland’s most exceptional student media talent and rewarded the winner Cathal O’Gara with a €1,000 prize fund from KBC. We would like to congratulate all who submitted applications to the Smedias and in particular to the winners announced this evening.”
SMEDIAS 2015 – WINNERS
1st Small College Publication of the Year
DUPA Photobook | Grace Nuttall, Trinity College Dublin
2nd Short Story of the Year
You Took Me to Neverland | Sarah Burke Vaughan, University College Dublin
3rd Web Designer of the Year
trinitynews.ie | Andrew Murphy, Trinity College Dublin
4th Blog of the Year
robmoro.ie | Robbie Morrissey, Griffith College Dublin
5th Radio Production of the Year – Arts & Features
Action Replay | Cian Roche, Dublin City University
6th Magazine of the Year
UCC Motley, University College Cork
7th Short Animation of the Year
Vertical Horizons | Anita Gaughan, Institute of Art, Design and Technology
8th Colour Writer of the Year
Brian Matthew Conmy, University College Cork
9th Sports Photographer of the year
Marius Dalseg Saetre, Griffith College
10th Film Script of the Year
Robbie the Rabbit | Rian Smith, Institute of Art, Design and Technology
11th Leiriuchain Teilifise i nGaeilge – Faisnéis & Drámaíocht
Charlie Lennon – Ceol ón gCroí | Ciaran Durkin, Waterford Institute of Technology
12th Website of the Year
Trinity News, Trinity College Dublin
13th RSA Award for Journalism relating to Road Safety
Sean Defoe & Eoin Sheahan, Dublin City University
14th Science Education of the Year
Anthea Lacchia, Trinity College Dublin
15th News Photographer of the Year
Emmet Curtain, University College Cork
16th Layout & Design of the Year
Catherine Healy, Trinity News, Trinity College Dublin
17th Short Film of the Year
Skunky Dog | James Fitzgerald, Institute of Art, Design and Technology
18th TV Production of the Year
Who I Am | Tiberio Ventura, Griffith College Dublin
19th Features Writer of the Year – Arts & Pop Culture
Sean Hayes, University College Dublin
20th Radio DJ of the Year
Eoin Sheahan & Sean Defoe, Dublin City University
21st Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge (Scríofa)
Benn Ó Hógáin, Trinity College Dublin
22nd Radio Documentary of the Year
Bom Camino | Ellie O Byrne, Griffith College Cork
23rd Journalist of the Year – National Press
Rachel Lavin, Trinity College Dublin
24th Radio Production of the Year – News & Current Affairs
DCUFM Newswire SU Election Special | Tommy Meskill & Nicole O’Connor, Dublin City University
25th Features Writer of the Year – News & Politics
Rachel Lavin, Trinity College Dublin
26th Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge (Raidió)
Starróga na Seachtaine | Caoimhe Ni Chathail & Barra Ó Scannláin, Dublin City University
27th Journalist of the Year-Radio
Eoin Sheahan, Dublin City University
28th RTE New Voices Award
Leslie Leung, University of Ulster
29th People’s Choice Awards
Motley Magazine, University College Cork
30th Sports Writer of the Year
Ryan Bailey, Griffith College Dublin
31st European Commission Award
Stephanie Costello, Dublin Institute of Technology
32nd KBC Achievement of the Year Award
Cathal O’Gara, UCC
33rd Journalist of the Year
Grainne Loughran, University College Dublin
34th Photographer of the Year
Tiberio Ventura, Griffith College Dublin
35th Editor of the Year
Trinity College – TN2 Magazine: Meadhbh McGrath
36th Newspaper of the Year
Trinity News, Trinity College Dublin
Judges:
- Alan Betson, Award Winning Irish Times Photographer
- Alan Steenson, Editor of The Herald
- Alva O’Cleirigh, PR & Communications Manager of SFI
- Anna Kenny, Features Production of Irish Times
- Billy Stickland, Managing Director of Inpho Photography
- Brian Farrell, Communication Manager of RSA
- Conor Goodman, Features Editor at The Irish Times
- David Labanyi, Online News Editor of Irish Times
- Darragh O’Connell, Founder of Brown Bag Animation
- Eddie Doyle, Head of Comedy, Talent Development & Music of RTE2
- Eileen Dunne, RTE News Reader
- Fionnan Sheahan, Editor at Irish Independent
- Garrett Harte, News Editor of Newstalk
- Des Gibson, Editor of The Star
- Julien Behal, Winner of AIB Photojournalist of the Year, PPAI Awards 2014
- Karen Mulreid, Winner Best Blog Post 2014
- Kathy Fox, Executive Producer of the Late Late Show
- Lenny Abrahamson, Film Director
- Liz Meaney, Arts Director of the Arts Council
- Lynette Fay, Producer & Presenter of BBC Radio Ulster
- Melanie Morris, Editor in chief of Image Publications
- Neil Leslie, Managering Editor of Sunday World
- Niamh Boyce, Award Winning Author
- Nicoline Greer, Multi Award Winning Documentary Maker
- Nikki Hayes, Spin 1038 DJ
- Ronan Kelly, Documentary Maker
- Sebastian Hamilton, Editor of Irish Daily Mail
- Sinead Hussey, News Journalist of RTE
- Siun Ni Raghallaigh, Chairperson of TG4, CEO of Ardmore Studios
- Stephen Collins, Programme Manager SFI
- Tim Vaughan, Editor at Irish Examiner
- Tony Leen, Sports Editor & Executive Editor of Irish Examiner