The Student Publication Association Awards ceremony, held in Glasgow on Saturday 1 April, saw trophies handed out to the best student newspapers, magazines and journalists for innovative and impactful work produced over the past 12 months.
The Best Publication winner, Exeposé, was commended by the judges for its “commitment to holding power to account and actually making positive change for university students”. The judges particularly commended the Exeter student newspaper’s “innovative and powerful coverage of Harry’s Law” - a campaign that saw 21 student newspapers unite in the aftermath of a student taking their own life.The campaign called for universities to be mandated to publish student suicide statistics.
In other categories, one publication won for its for "blowing the lid on secret society initiations to expose the more disturbing side of these ceremonies", while another was praised for its “investigation on the economic and mental health pressures facing nursing students”.
From hard-hitting investigations to insightful interviews, and punchy comment pieces to stunning print design, the quality of work produced showcased the finest talent on campuses across the two countries.
The awards were sponsored by a range of industry bodies, including News Associates; Bloomberg; PA Training; City, University of London; the Association of British Science Writers; Women in Journalism; and Newsworks.
With more than 1,200 entries this year, the Student Publication Association Awards say they are the UK’s biggest journalism awards. Nominations were judged by a diverse range of top editors and journalists on publications including The Guardian, The Sun, Politics Home, GB News, The New Statesman, Times Radio, Sky News, The Times, Dazed and Getty.
Judges paid tribute to the high standards of work submitted, saying many pieces would fit perfectly into national publications.
Aubrey Allegretti, a Trustee for the SPA, said: "We are immensely proud of the incredible work produced over the past year by student journalists, who held power to account at their universities and campaigned on a range of important issues.
"Student journalists are the lifeblood of their campus communities, and we are proud to support their work through training, and advocating for them in the face of funding cuts.
"The judges for our 2023 National Awards said many of the stories submitted would fit perfectly in national publications. I am confident our winners will follow those before them into the profession and become the industry leaders of tomorrow."
The full list of winners were:
- Best Publication Award: Exeposé
- Billy Dowling-Reid Award: Freya Shaw, Creative Director at Epigram
- Best Reporter Award: Elizabeth McBride, Palatinate
- Best News Story Award: Chun Buckets Everywhere: How Initiation Ceremonies ruin the Freshers Experience - Neil Majithia and Elettra Plati, The Cheese Grater
- Best Specialist Publication Award: The Economic Tribune
- Best Newcomer Individual Award (Rising Star): Luke Hewitt, The Mancunion
- Best Newcomer Publication Award: ScienceMind
- Best Student Photographer Award: Reagan Yip, Platform
- Best Magazine Design Award: GUM
- Best Newspaper Design Award: The Mancunion
- Best Overall Digital Media Award: The Mancunion
- Best Website Award: The Mancunion
- Best Sports Section Award: Palatinate
- Best Sports Reporter Award: Oliver Jervis, Palatinate
- Best Science Publication or Section Award: The Mancunion
- Best Science or Tech Piece Award: Gino D’Acampo: 'NFTs are the future of gaming' - Will Brown, Palatinate
- Best Feature Award: The Beaver investigates: how LSE students cheat their way to internships - Amadea Hofmann
- Best Comment Piece Award: Navigating university hook-up culture as a survivor of sexual assault - Sahana Rudra, The Beaver
- Best Interview Award: Mysteries of Life, on Earth and Above - Charles Gorrivan, The Saint
- Best Political Piece Award: Anonymous, The Beaver - China’s ‘A4 revolution’ spreads to London and the world
- Best Arts & Culture Piece Award: The art of war photography with David Pratt - Kimberley Mannion, The Glasgow Guardian
- Best Lifestyle Piece Award: My Ovaries & I - Ria Walls, Trinity News
- Best Creative Piece: What the F*** is Going On?: A Comprehensive Guide to British Politics - Isabel Loubser and Amelia Perry, The Saint
- Best Project or Initiative: Student papers for Harry's Law - Exeposé
