UL students sweep 'record number' of nominations at national media awards

JOURNALISM students at the University of Limerick have swept up a record number of nominations at national media awards for their “brilliant work.”

This year, the journalism students are represented in 14 categories at The National Student Media Awards (SMEDIAs), the largest competition of its kind in Ireland.

Award-winning multimedia news platform, Limerick Voice, has received nominations in a number of different categories including Best Newspaper, Best Layout and Design and Website of the Year.  Limerick Voice Social Media Manager, Aishlín Hennigan, has also been nominated for Editor of the Year alongside third year journalism student Molly Cantwell who was editor of Curious Magazine, which was produced by second year journalism students in 2022.

The largest competition of its kind, the SMEDIAs recognise and celebrate the next generation of media talent, and the awards are judged by key media industry leaders.

For the work he produced as part of his work placement with Gay Community News, third year UL journalism student, Joe Drennan, has been nominated in the prestigious 'Journalist of the Year National Media' category.

Speaking of the record number of nominations, Course Director of the BA in Journalism and Digital Communication, Kathryn Hayes, said: “It’s great to see so many nominations for students across our journalism undergraduate degree programme in UL. It’s a wonderful validation for all of our students, particularly those who are preparing to enter the world of work in the coming weeks.”

Digital Editor of Limerick Voice, Rachel Petticrew, commented: “Looking back, I am extremely proud of the work Limerick Voice has produced over the past year, and the new ways in which we have grown the publication. To receive so many nominations from the SMEDIA judges is a real testament to the standard and consistency of brilliant work contributed year-round by our entire team.”

Social Media Manager and Editor of the Year nominee, Aishlín Hennigan concluded: “This year, we have extracted the full potential from the social media and utilised every platform. Our success is evidenced by our statistics, which show a 20% increase in Instagram followers, multiple videos reaching over 10 thousand views and reaching over thirty thousand Instagram accounts in one month.”

For their 23rd edition, the SMEDIAs will take place on Thursday, April 20 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Among the students recognised for their work, Ellen Cornelius and Rachel Petticrew have been nominated for the ‘Journalism Relating to Health’ category, while Aislinn Kelly has been nominated for ‘Features Writer of the Year Arts and Pop Culture.’

Ellen Gough and Rebecca Lenihan have also been nominated in the ‘Collaborative Journalism’ category, while Ellen Cornelius, Rachel Petticrew, Sadbh Redmond, Ann McDonal, and Caleb Brennan have been nominated for ‘Radio Production of the Year.