KBC National Student Media Awards

 

• 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

1^st         Small College Publication of the Year

DUPA Photobook | Grace Nuttall, Trinity College Dublin

2^nd        Short Story of the Year

You Took Me to Neverland | Sarah Burke Vaughan, University College Dublin

3^rd         Web Designer of the Year                                       

trinitynews.ie | Andrew Murphy, Trinity College Dublin

4^th         Blog of the Year

robmoro.ie | Robbie Morrissey, Griffith College Dublin

5^th         Radio Production of the Year – Arts & Features  

Action Replay | Cian Roche, Dublin City University

6^th         Magazine of the Year          

UCC Motley, University College Cork

7^th         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

9^th         Sports Photographer of the year   

Marius Dalseg Saetre, Griffith College

10^th Film Script of the Year

Robbie the Rabbit | Rian Smith, Institute of Art, Design and Technology

11^th Leiriuchain Teilifise i nGaeilge – Faisnéis & Drámaíocht     

Charlie Lennon – Ceol ón gCroí | Ciaran Durkin, Waterford Institute of Technology

12^th Website of the Year

Trinity News, Trinity College Dublin

13^th RSA Award for Journalism relating to Road Safety

Sean Defoe & Eoin Sheahan, Dublin City University

14^th Science Education of the Year                        

Anthea Lacchia, Trinity College Dublin

15^th News Photographer of the Year          

Emmet Curtain, University College Cork

16^th Layout & Design of the Year                

Catherine Healy, Trinity News, Trinity College Dublin

17^th Short Film of the Year

Skunky Dog | James Fitzgerald, Institute of Art, Design and Technology

18^th TV Production of the Year       

Who I Am | Tiberio Ventura, Griffith College Dublin

19^th Features Writer of the Year – Arts & Pop Culture

Sean Hayes, University College Dublin

20^th Radio DJ of the Year     

Eoin Sheahan & Sean Defoe, Dublin City University

21^st Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge (Scríofa)      

Benn Ó Hógáin, Trinity College Dublin

22^nd Radio Documentary of the Year         

Bom Camino | Ellie O Byrne, Griffith College Cork

23^rd Journalist of the Year – National Press          

Rachel Lavin, Trinity College Dublin

24^th Radio Production of the Year – News & Current Affairs      

DCUFM Newswire SU Election Special | Tommy Meskill & Nicole O’Connor, Dublin City University

25^th Features Writer of the Year – News & Politics           

Rachel Lavin, Trinity College Dublin

26^th Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge (Raidió)       

Starróga na Seachtaine | Caoimhe Ni Chathail & Barra Ó Scannláin, Dublin City University

27^th  Journalist of the Year-Radio  

Eoin Sheahan, Dublin City University

28^th      RTE New Voices Award      

Leslie Leung, University of Ulster

29^th People’s Choice Awards          

Motley Magazine, University College Cork

30^th Sports Writer of the Year         

Ryan Bailey, Griffith College Dublin

31^st European Commission Award                        

Stephanie Costello, Dublin Institute of Technology

32^nd KBC Achievement of the Year Award            

Cathal O’Gara, UCC

33^rd  Journalist of the Year

Grainne Loughran, University College Dublin

34^th  Photographer of the Year       

Tiberio Ventura, Griffith College Dublin

35^th  Editor of the Year         

Trinity College – TN2 Magazine: Meadhbh McGrath

36th Newspaper of the Year           

Trinity News, Trinity College Dublin

 

Judges:

1. Alan Betson, Award Winning Irish Times Photographer
2. Alan Steenson, Editor of The Herald
3. Alva O’Cleirigh, PR & Communications Manager of SFI
4. Anna Kenny, Features Production of Irish Times
5. Billy Stickland, Managing Director of Inpho Photography
6. Brian Farrell, Communication Manager of RSA
7. Conor Goodman, Features Editor at The Irish Times
8. David Labanyi, Online News Editor of Irish Times
9. Darragh O’Connell, Founder of Brown Bag Animation
10. Eddie Doyle, Head of Comedy, Talent Development & Music of RTE2
11. Eileen Dunne, RTE News Reader
12. Fionnan Sheahan, Editor at Irish Independent
13. Garrett Harte, News Editor of Newstalk
14. Des Gibson, Editor of The Star
15. Julien Behal, Winner of AIB Photojournalist of the Year, PPAI Awards 2014
16. Karen Mulreid, Winner Best Blog Post 2014
17. Kathy Fox, Executive Producer of the Late Late Show
18. Lenny Abrahamson, Film Director
19. Liz Meaney, Arts Director of the Arts Council
20. Lynette Fay, Producer & Presenter of BBC Radio Ulster
21. Melanie Morris, Editor in chief of Image Publications
22. Neil Leslie, Managering Editor of Sunday World
23. Niamh Boyce, Award Winning Author
24. Nicoline Greer, Multi Award Winning Documentary Maker
25. Nikki Hayes, Spin 1038 DJ
26. Ronan Kelly, Documentary Maker
27. Sebastian Hamilton, Editor of Irish Daily Mail
28. Sinead Hussey, News Journalist of RTE
29. Siun Ni Raghallaigh,  Chairperson of TG4, CEO of Ardmore Studios
30. Stephen Collins, Programme Manager SFI
31. Tim Vaughan, Editor at Irish Examiner
32. Tony Leen, Sports Editor & Executive Editor of Irish Examiner