University of Limerick journalism students scoop top awards at National Student Media Awards

University of Limerick journalism students have scooped three awards at the National Student Media Awards. For the second time Limerick Voice, produced by the final year journalism class, was named Newspaper of the Year 2024 and also won the award for Layout and Design of the Year 2024. Limerick Voice investigative reporter Gemma Good also won the prize for Journalism Relating to Health for her feature on Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention.

The National Student Media Awards (The SMEDIAS) is the largest competition of its kind in Ireland dedicated to recognising and celebrating the next generation of media talent. Presenting the award for Newspaper of the Year to the Limerick Voice team, Mark Hennessy Ireland and Britain Editor of The Irish Times, commended the journalism students for their “determined efforts to report the community around them.”

The awards ceremony was held at the Mansion House in Dublin where a special tribute was also paid to Limerick Voice’s late Editor-In-Chief, Joe Drennan, who died tragically in a hit and run incident on October 13th last. There was a standing ovation after it was announced that from next year, the Journalism Relating to Road Safety Award would be renamed The Joe Drennan Award for Journalism Relating to Road Safety.

UL journalism students received 16 nominations at this year’s SMEDIAS, which is testament to the talent of the University’s students according to Dr Kathryn Hayes, Associate Professor and Course Director the BA Journalism and Digital Communication programme. "I couldn’t be prouder of our journalism students. To be so successful at The SMEDIAS after such a hard year is a tribute to their resilience. Their work on Limerick Voice shows their ability to work through extremely difficult circumstances to produce award-winning journalism. Joe Drennan would be so proud. The past few months have been full of teaching moments. I look forward to seeing our students make major contributions to Irish journalism in the years ahead".

Joe Costigan, Digital Editor, spoke about the team’s Newspaper of the Year win: “We said before we even started working on the newspaper that we would dedicate it to Joe, so to have it recognised nationally at an awards ceremony that meant so much to him is incredible. It’s hard to explain how special it felt, it genuinely means the world to everyone on the team.”

Full list of UL nominees:

Newspaper of the Year: Limerick Voice

Website of the Year: Limerick Voice

Layout and Design of the Year: Limerick Voice

Journalist of the Year – National Media: Molly Cantwell

Features Writer of the Year – Arts & Pop Culture: Molly Cantwell

European Commission Award Journalism Relating to EU Affairs: Molly Cantwell

SFI Journalism relating to Science & Technology: Molly Cantwell

Virgin Media Belonging Award: Molly Cantwell

Radio Production of the Year – News & Current Affairs: Molly Cantwell, Rachel Kelly, Conon MacLeod, Oisín Nolan

Features Writer of the Year – News & Current Affairs: Gemma Good

Journalism Relating to Health: Gemma Good

Virgin Media Digital Content Creator Award: Daniel Ryan; Anna Powell

Journalism Relating to Travel: Anna Powell

EPA Award Journalism Relating to the Environment: Abigail Hayden

TV Production of the Year: Aishlín Hennigan