The winners of the 2023 SPA National Awards have been announced.
From hard-hitting investigations to insightful interviews, and thought-provoking culture pieces to stunning print design, the quality of work produced showcased the finest talent on campuses across the UK and Ireland.
The awards were sponsored by a range of industry bodies, including News Associates; Newsworks; Bloomberg; PA Training; City, University of London; the Association of British Science Writers; Women in Journalism; Pagefield; and The Media Society.
With more than 1,200 entries this year, they were 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.
Best Publication Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Exeposé
- Highly Commended: Roar News
Billy Dowling-Reid Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Freya Shaw, creative director at Epigram
- Highly Commended: Shikhar Talwar, news producer at The Mancunion
Best Reporter Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Elizabeth McBride, Palatinate
- Highly Commended: Liberty Phelan, The Student
Best News Story Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Chun Buckets Everywhere: How initiation ceremonies ruin the freshers experience – Neil Majithia and Elettra Plati, The Cheese Grater
- Highly Commended: Students feel forced to sign for housing as anger towards the university grows – Emily Doughty, Daniel Hodgson and Holly Barry
Best Specialist Publication Award
- Winner: The Economic Tribune
- Highly Commended: La Civetta
Best Newcomer Individual Award (Rising Star)
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Luke Hewitt, The Mancunion
- Highly Commended: Emily Dalton, Kingston Courier
Best Newcomer Publication Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: ScienceMind
- Highly Commended: Solipse
Best Student Photographer Award
- Winner: Reagan Yip, Platform
- Highly Commended: Jory Mundy, The Falmouth Anchor
Best Magazine Design Award
- Winner: GUM
- Highly Commended: I,Science
Best Newspaper Design Award
- Winner: The Mancunion
- Highly Commended: The Boar
Best Overall Digital Media Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: The Mancunion
- Highly Commended: The Beaver
Best Website Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: The Mancunion
- Highly Commended: Brig Newspaper
Best Sports Section Award
- Winner: Palatinate
- Highly Commended: SCAN
Best Sports Reporter Award
- Winner: Oliver Jervis, Palatinate
- Highly Commended: Maddie Parker, Palatinate
Best Science Publication or Section Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: The Mancunion
- Highly Commended: I,Science
Best Science or Tech Piece Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Gino D’Acampo: “NFTs are the future of gaming” – Will Brown, Palatinate
- Highly Commended: “How a high school student broke new biological ground” – Emma Hattersley, The Mancunion
Best Feature Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: “The Beaver investigates: how LSE students cheat their way to internships” – Amadea Hofmann
- Highly Commended: “Impact investigates: freshers targeted by dodgy promotion tactics” – Lucinda Dodd, Impact
Best Comment Piece Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: “Navigating university hook-up culture as a survivor of sexual assault” – Sahana Rudra, The Beaver
- Highly Commended: “Why I stayed: beginning to love Cork” – Claire Watson, University Express
Best Interview Award
Sponsored by…
- Winner: “Mysteries of life, on earth and above” – Charles Gorrivan, The Saint
- Highly Commended: “‘It really felt like a war’: Professor Van-Tam shares his pandemic experience” – Lucinda Dodd, Impact
Best Political Piece Award
- Winner: “China’s ‘A4 revolution’ spreads to London and the world” – Anonymous, The Beaver
- Highly Commended: “Inside the Orange Order: an interview with a former lodge leader” – Luke Chafer, The Glasgow Guardian
Best Arts & Culture Piece Award
- Winner: “The art of war photography with David Pratt” – Kimberley Mannion, The Glasgow Guardian
- Highly Commended: “Andor review: The best, and most leftist, Star Wars show yet” – Joe McFadden, The Mancunion
Best Lifestyle Piece Award
- Winner: “My ovaries & I” – Ria Walls, Trinity News
- Highly Commended: “It’s out with the Vogue and in with the views” – Eve Dickson, GUM
Best Creative Piece
- Winner: “What the f*** is going on?: a comprehensive guide to British politics” – Isabel Loubser and Amelia Perry, The Saint
- Highly Commended: “Questions on the walk home” – Rosie Willoughby, The Stag
Best Project or Initiative
Sponsored by…
- Winner: Student papers for Harry’s Law – Exeposé
- Highly Commended: Live music showcases – Talia Andrea, STRAND Magazine