#SPANC24 Financial Assistance Scheme now open
#SPANC24 – Take charge at our AGM
#SPANC24 shortlist: Are you among the country’s best student journalists?
It’s been another bumper year for the Student Publication Association (SPA) national awards, with a record number of entries, including from many of our new members who have only joined this year.
With three new categories this year we have more variety than ever before, and we’re really excited to be highlighting even more arts and culture pieces - as voted for by our members at the #SPANC23 AGM in Glasgow last year.
1252
Number of entries received for the SPA 2024 national awards
(That’s more than some of the big national professional journalism awards!)
If you find yourself on the shortlist - well done!
We hope we see you in Bristol on April 13th for our glittering awards ceremony to find out if you’ve won, get your tickets below, or here, now.
If you’ve been unlucky this time, we hope you’ll still join us to celebrate your fellow student journalists and hear from all our brilliant speakers.
We’ve also just launched our Financial Assistance Scheme to help those underrepresented in journalism come to #SPANC24 - find out more here.
Can’t make it? Our awards ceremony will be live-streamed as in previous years.
Best Publication
Sponsored by…
- The Gaudie
- Strand Magazine
- The River
- The Mancunion
- The Student
- Roar News
- The Glasgow Guardian
- Palatinate
- Cherwell
- Trinity News
Best Specialist Publication
- Strand Magazine
- The Croft
- Muse
- The Lemon Press
- Gender Agenda
- Trinity Journal of Literary Translation
- The Oxford Scientist
- The Economic Tribune
- Perspectives
- OTwo
Best Newcomer Publication
Sponsored by…
- Inside The Box
- Silver Hand
- Women’s Wrongs
- Planorama
- Lingo Magazine
- Take The Wheel
- BRAW
- People Behind the Headlines
Best Design (Newspaper)
- The Student
- Forge Press
- Brig
- Felix
- The Gaudie
- The Badger
- The Mancunion
- Epigram
- The Gryphon
- The Saint
Best Design (Magazine)
- The Croft
- I, Science
- RAZZ
- That’s What She Said
- The Oxford Scientist
- Venue
- Label
- Quench
- The Standard
- TCD Misc.
Best Overall Digital Media
Sponsored by…
- Strand Magazine
- Roar News
- The Badger
- The Oxford Student
- Palatinate
- Lingo Magazine
- The Orbital Magazine
- Quench
- The Mancunion
- The Gryphon
Best Website
- Strand Magazine
- The Saint
- Epigram
- Brig
- Exeposé
- The Mancunion
Best Project or Initiative
- The Gaudie - The Gaudie digital archive
- Nouse - AlumNouse
- The Saint - Diss-Course
- The Student - The Student podcast
- Roar News - Roar News app
- The Beaver - Uncovering the Union
- Palatinate - Podcasts by Palatinate
- The Oxford Student - The Oxford Student newsletter
- ScienceMind - Women’s health special
- Cherwell - Carbon-neutral publishing
Best Culture Publication or Section(s)
- Strand Magazine
- The Saint
- The Mancunion
- Forge Press
- Venue
- Lingo Magazine
- Quench
- OTwo
- The Gryphon
- Cherwell
Best Science Publication or Section
Sponsored by…
- Palatinate
- The Oxford Scientist
- The Mancunion
- Concrete
- UCL Science Magazine
- The Courier
- I, Science
- Kinesis
- ScienceMind
- The Glasgow Guardian
Best Sport Publication or Section
- The Mancunion
- Exeposé
- The Student
- Palatinate
- The Badger
- York Vision
- Concrete
- The Standard
- Cherwell
- The Beaver
Billy Dowling-Reid Award for Outstanding Commitment
- Orla McAndrew, Nouse
- Lucy Jackson, The Student
- Joe Harston, Palatinate
- Charlie Fenton, Forge Press
- Semhar (Semi) Tesfazgy, The Badger
- Hannah Auld, Take The Wheel
- Freya Deyell, Brig
- Fintan Hogan, Roar News
- Molly Cantwell, Limerick Voice
- Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco & Isabelle Hampton-Zabotti, The Gaudie
Best Reporter
Sponsored by…
- Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Gaudie
- Sam Norman, The Courier
- Maggie Wilcox, Cherwell
- Rose Henderson, The Oxford Student
- Fintan Hogan, Roar News
- Anna Boyne, Empoword Journalism & Impact
- Athina Bohner, The Glasgow Guardian
- Emily Doughty, Palatinate
- Clara Martinez, The Standard
- Charlotte Kent, Trinity News
Best Culture Writer
- Barney Nuttall, Strand Magazine
- Milan Perera, Epigram
- Phoebe Pascoe, The University Times
- Akane Hayashi, Strand Magazine
- Jeevan Farthing, The Glasgow Guardian
- Anwesh Banerjee, Roar News
- Francesca Sylph, The Badger
- Tessa Ndjonkou, The University Observer
- Anuj Mishra, Cherwell
Rising Star (Best Newcomer)
Sponsored by…
- Libby Griffiths, The Courier
- Oliver Adelson, Cherwell
- Cameron Baillie, The Beaver
- Simon Ezra Jackson, The Saint
- Elliot Burrin, Palatinate
- Luke Alsford, Palatinate
- Benji Chapman, Epigram
- Semhar (Semi) Tesfazgy, The Badger
- Daisy Outram, The Oxford Student
- Molly Cantwell, Limerick Voice
Best News Story
- Warwick student ‘failed by the justice system’ after Sherbourne stabbing sentencing - Archie Clarke & Luke Chapman, The Boar
- Film Society committee steps down following incident with fascist costume - Austin Swaffer, The Saint
- Modern languages department on the chopping block as UoA faces £15m shortfall - Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Gaudie
- Counselling services acknowledges the need for a more diverse staff, advertises minority supports for first time - Alex Payne, The University Times
- ‘Homophobic, reductive and offensive’: Durham backtracks after defining ‘nonce’ as homophobic - Elizabeth McBride, Palatinate
- University severs ties with TCS following admissions test debacle - Cem Kozanoglu, Cherwell
- Just Stop Oil deface University of Manchester building - Jacob Hartley & Rosina Read, The Mancunion
- LSE and King’s students suffer violent hate crime - Jack Beeching, The Beaver
- Academic misconduct at the University of Exeter surges - Livvy Mason-Myhill, Exeposé
- The gap between white and Black students getting top degrees widens - Maurizio Kayonjo, The River
Best Investigation
- UoA chief George Boyne told colleagues he wanted staff to feel ‘pain along the way’ - Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Gaudie
- Investigation finds US students pay more at Edinburgh than other Scottish unis - Maryse Bots & Nick Malizia, The Student
- University medical students report a gap in teachings of transgender healthcare - Jamie Speka, Exeposé
- SU president suspended over porn scandal - Rose Henderson & Milo Dennison, The Oxford Student
- KCL Tories event features fascist armband and far-right language - Daisy Eastlake & Diana Rajabalinia, Roar News
- Rise in burglaries in Durham leaves students feeling ‘unsafe’ and ‘violated’ - Elliot Burrin, Palatinate
- University mental health waiting times triple in the last decade - Shakthi Thyagarajan, Forge Press
- Chinese surveillance cameras at UoG linked to human rights abuse allegations and security fears - Athina Bohner, The Glasgow Guardian
- University spends millions on rooms sitting empty - Jeevan Farthing & Athina Bohner, The Glasgow Guardian
- Students fall victim to ticket scams on Manchester students’ group - Luke Hewitt, The Mancunion
Best Feature
- Limerick’s ‘going dark’: A night in the life of a Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention volunteer - Gemma Good, Limerick Voice
- What is your degree worth? Scrutinising Sunak’s crackdown on rip-off degrees - Annie McNamee, Epigram
- ‘I have even considered elocution lessons’: Durham students describe pressure to modify regional accents - Luke Alsford, Elizabeth McBride & Nicole Ireland, Palatinate
- The USSR flag and student communism: A controversial combination - Ruby Topalian, Trinity News
- Student fight nights: ‘I admit it’s a very idiotic thing to sign up to’ - Anna Boyne, Impact
- Sober at Oxford: Teetotalers discuss freshers’ week and beyond - Selina Chen, Cherwell
- Working at LSE: Is the great academic resignation upon us? - Vanessa Huang, The Beaver
- Lost in translation: Exchange students condemn college’s poor communication - Phoebe Pascoe & Hosanna Boulter, The University Times
- ’University has given me another chance’: Life as a mature student at Bristol - Amelia Jacob, Epigram
- ’I leave the flat less often’: One month on from library closures, residents face a harsh reality - Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, The Gaudie
Best Interview
- Baseball in Fife: The Tayport Breakers - Mahaley Wise, The Saint
- Sure, sex sells, but what does it cost? - Carlin Braun, Brig
- Rat-killer kitten? Two students’ journey with a pet exterminator - Phoebe Davies, The Saint
- Escaping the London International Christian Church - Kaviesh Kinger & Sheila Mutua, The Beaver
- Noel Gallagher: ‘Cosmetically Manchester changes… but it forever stays the same’ - Alex Cooper, The Mancunion
- 100 years of Jaconelli’s - Jeevan Farthing, The Glasgow Guardian
- ‘Dr Who is Sherlock Holmes in space’: In conversation with Steven Moffat - Constance Roisin, The Glasgow Guardian
- What’s the Big Issue? A Frank conversation on homelessness - Eden Fall-Bailey, The Boar
- Sexual abuse campaigner Ellie Wilson nominated for UoG world-changing alumni award - Niamh Flanagan, The Glasgow Guardian
- Getting to know Brighton: International students’ journey of discovery - Cynthia Chan, The Badger
Best Science or Tech Piece
Sponsored by…
- A feminist formulae? What ‘girl math’ really means - Claire Thomson, The Glasgow Guardian
- Trust me, I’m an exorcist - Zoya Gul, RUMS Review
- Grow it York: The vertical farm under our noses - Matt Davis, York Vision
- Player profiles: Hawke Wood - Ali Rees, Brig
- Beyond the cycle: Can the menstrual cycle impact cognition? - Maithili Pittea, ScienceMind
- Bloody hell: Period products tested with blood - Eve Zebedee, The Glasgow Guardian
- Why these strikes matter - Altay Shaw, Kinesis
- Brunel: Bristol’s favourite adopted son - Lucas Mockeridge, Epigram
- Tackling drug misuse in UK universities - Robyn Garner, Jak Wright & Eitan Ostashinski, Nouse
- AI and journalism - Elliot Rose, Bath Time Magazine
Best Sports Reporter
- Claire Thomson, The Glasgow Guardian
- James Kinnaird, The Gaudie
- Arthur Ferridge, The Courier
- Mia Prince-Kelly, The Student
- Oliver Baker, The Student
- Nathan Hassett, Brig
- Harry Craig, Exeposé
- Joseph Saunders, Palatinate
- Sofia Royal, Concrete
- Skye Slatcher, The Beaver
Best Comment Piece
- Sharking at university: A Kendom like no other - Scarlett Cracknell, Exeposé
- There are no caveats to Trinity’s silence on Gaza. It is unambiguously shameful. - David Wolfe, Trinity News
- Women should not be shamed for using disposable period products - Ruby Topalian, Trinity News
- From the outside looking in - Nina Miller, The Glasgow Guardian
- Braving the storm: Another year of Bristol’s shocking student housing - Emily Brewster, Epigram
- Racism, mental health, and the urgent call for change in Trinity’s counselling services - Kiran Singh, The University Times
- The hollowed-out degree - Muhammad Ibrahim, The Beaver
- My experience with alcohol misuse: The normalisation of alcoholism in British culture - Caitlyn Taft, SCAN
- Healing in the wake of the Prague university shooting - Adam Rainbolt, Trinity News
- Apology to my mum: Or, why I’ll be arrested - Cameron Baillie, The Beaver
Best Lifestyle Piece
- Infantilising or empowering: The rise in the universal girl - Charlotte Legrand, Nouse
- Surviving a terrorist attack - Libby Griffiths, The Courier
- Anorexia and me: It’s time to tell the truth - Seven Standen, Empoword Journalism
- The language of cooking - Selina Chen, Cherwell
- UTIs: The what, the how, and the why me? - Lucy Spencer, The Badger
- Girl talks empower: How a simple conversation helped me discover my fibroadenoma - Hannah Giron Daygo, The College View
- Mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors: Issa Rae and Black creativity in hostile territory - Emoefeoghene (Efé) Imoyin-Omene, SCAN
- Cosplaying poor: How come people now prefer charity shops over high brand clothing? - Rebecca Symns-Rowley, Forge Press
- ‘Girl trends’: The dawn of womanhood is not the death of girlhood - Lily Smith, RAZZ
Best Arts or Culture Piece
- The Barbieheimer effect - Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb, York Vision
- Heath Virgoe: The queer gen-Z filmmaker of our dreams - Rachel Cronin, Strathclyde Telegraph
- Nasty Boys: A ode to queer identity - Rosie Nowosielski, The Gryphon
- Murdering the dancefloor: How we’re being priced out of nightlife - Orla Mahon, The University Observer
- The Last Voyage of the Gloucester: UEA historical research gets public outing - Matthew Stothard, Concrete
- Girl dinner: Should we be concerned? - Rachel Alvey, Label
- The history of Sussex music: From Jimi Hendrix to… nothing? - Harry Turnbull & Isabella Poderico, The Badger
- Bursting point: What the closure of BURST says about the future of student radio - Jake Paterson, Epigram
- St. Paul’s Carnival triumphantly returns after three-year hiatus celebrating ‘legends’ from past - Milan Perera, Epigram
- Turn of the tide: The ‘decline’ of public baths - Thomas Gibbs, The Saint
Best Creative Piece
- Slay the grey away: How to liven up the English language - Simon Ezra Jackson, The Saint
- Dear letter writing, we’re sorry that you’re leaving - Rosie Miller, The Saint
- Attempt to get 1,000 Shakespeares at 1,000 typewriters to type out lyrics to ‘King of the Swingers’ from The Jungle Book fails miserably - Eddie Atkinson, The Lemon Press
- A breakup letter to alcohol - Emma Gallagher, The Beaver
- 101 uses for 101 plums - Matt Davis, The Lemon Press
- Keir Starmer… A day in the life - Ben Scanlan, The Cheese Grater
- The venture to the void - Keziah Cho, The Cheese Grater
- Greetings and goodbye - Zoe Barret, The Boar
- Kevin and Timmy let it out - Sean Hartnett, Cherwell
Best Student Photographer
- Ailish O’Leary Austin, The Mancunion
- Rory Chinn, Trinity News
- Ciara Tait, Brig
- Jimena Alvarez, Trinity News
-
Zeeshan Tirmizi, The Badger
- Emma Carmichael, Roar News
- Mia Wilson, Quench
- James Maslin-Bosher, The Gryphon
- Georg Lovric, The Croft
Geri Scott
Geri Scott is an SPA trustee and has been since 2018. She is senior political correspondent at The Times and as a student (a long time ago now!) was editor of Concrete, the University of East Anglia’s student newspaper.
