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Taking place in person at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery on Thursday 19 May, �׸���Ƭ Journalism and PR students and graduates, alongside staff and presenters enjoyed an evening of celebration.

You can read more about this year's amazing winners, runners-up and judges’ comments below:

Steve Panter Multimedia Journalist of the Year Award

Judge: Steve Panter

Winner: Harriet Heywood

Runner-up: Melanie Cionco

Runner-up: Charlotte Hardman

Judge comments:

“The winner and two runners-up showed a determination to ‘get out there’ and interview people face-to-face to generate original content and thereby enhance reader, viewer and listener interest.

The winner, in particular, embraced the integration of engaging writing, vibrant video and pleasing use of still images and graphics to create a package with strong human interest at its core.

The winner's entry also demonstrates the invaluable knowledge to be gained from sustained industry placement to augment academic study of journalism.”

First Year Student Award

Judge: Adam McClean

Winner - George Icke

Runner-up - Scarlett Mullender

Runner-up - Heather Davey

Judges' comments:

“Scarlett has incredible promise with her very own podcast and clearly puts her all into everything that she does.

Heather submitted a strong multi-platform portfolio which will be incredibly important to a successful career in journalism, it certainly was for me.

George: A young man who holds a very prestigious position at Shock Radio that I proudly once held. Congratulations to the Head of News, who already has a growing list of professional by-lines.”

Photojournalist of the Year Award

Judge: Mark Waugh

Winner: Harriet Heywood

Runner-up: Emmie Norton

Runner-up: George Icke

Judges' Comments:

Harriet: "In this set image 5 ‘I have never felt safe’ stands out for me, Harriet has worked hard to try and compose strong images, and in tricky lighting she has still managed to get a nice set of images. I also loved the idea behind Harriet’s retired series of images, The man laughing in his car was a lovely image and leaves me wondering what conversation they would be having. I also love the serving hatch image. If image 4 hadn't been so dark this set could easily have been the winner".

Emmie: "I liked image 6 of Emmie’s in particular, I like the guy just popping out from his sign, and despite the seriousness of the protest the 2 ladies are enjoying themselves, this picture stood out as Emmie has tried to frame the image well and create a pleasing image. It can be hard to work in the dark so well-done Emmie".

George: "An interesting set of images, from both the hunt and the protesters perspectives, I loved the woman taking a picture of the dog with her phone.”

Second Year Student Award
Judge: Liam Thorp

Winner:  Niamh McDermott

Runner-up: Ellie Wallace-Mckay Richards

Runner-up: Heba Abu Hamideh

Judges' comments:

“Judging these awards genuinely gets harder each year because of the quality of the submissions and the brilliant and broad range of topics covered. I was hugely impressed by how the students dealt with often difficult and delicate subjects and amplified voices that are often underrepresented when discussing crucial societal issues.

"It really was a very hard decision to narrow the shortlist down to just three students, with several others in very close contention. But I felt these three showed a breadth of skills, a willingness to take on difficult subjects and they have all produced some great public interest journalism. Well done everyone.”
 

Best PR of the Year Award

Judge: Claire Quansah

Winner: Rose McMillan

Runner-up: Aisha Aro-Lambo

Runner-up: Alexandra Openshaw

Judges' comments:

Rose: "A great campaign which was clearly a passion project. Strong choice of influencers selected and a good approach to rebranding the current podcast, rather than create something new for the sake of it. The tone of the campaign was very open, welcoming, and certainly wasn’t ‘preachy’. Well done!"

Aisha: "It was great to see the history of PR and journalism included in your research which really helped to set the scene. This was a very well thought through project with a series of tactics that aligned to your objectives. You showed a good understanding of your audience and this was reflected in the campaign".

Alexandra: "Some great content creation and planning skills on display here. It’s clear you understand the different platforms and how to adapt content for them.”

Third Year Student Award

Judge: Pien Meulensteen

Winner: Harriet Heywood

Runner-up: Sophie Hodgetts

Runner-up: Aaron Benzoe

Judges' comments:

“It was incredibly difficult to choose a winner for this category. All of the entries showcased brilliant, inquisitive and well-produced journalism and it has been a joy to learn more about the students. I was drawn to Harriet’s story because the TV package was professionally produced and it had all the elements to a story you would see on a national news broadcast.

"Harriet tells the story of Fiona Heakin’s unearthed family diary with warmth and sensitivity. She cleverly intertwines her interview with Fiona with details of World War Two through a Salford lens. Harriet’s commitment to learn in a professional environment and secure freelance positions at local and national news outlets, all whilst studying at the university, has clearly built her into a well-rounded journalist.”

Sports Journalist of the Year Award

Judge: Patrick Barclay

Winner: Sam Taylor

Runner-up: Evan Hurst

Runner-up: Lewis Robinson

Judges' comments:

“The winner is Samuel Taylor. Naturally, as a former print journalist, I lean towards written work, but Samuel has outstanding talent; his style is light but earnest and informative and his package about the children’s chess club was put together with rare skill.

"My runners-up are Evan Hurst, whose account of life under lockdown and its effect on the Golborne club was an education, and Lewis Robertson for his fascinating interview with Nathan Maguire the Paralympian.”

Postgraduate Student Award

Judge: Freya Chappell

Winner: Olivia Snelson

Runner-up: Kelsey Haslam

Runner-up: Aisha Aro-Lambo

Judges' comments:

“Olivia: Olivia showed a variation of skills in her piece - which she was able to do in a concise way. The parts in conversation with the other presenter included relevant information that would teach the viewer something if they wanted to know a top news story of that day. I remember covering the story myself and it was done so by many others too - so she picked a very story of the day topic. Olivia is a natural in front of the camera - she’s really in her element and I felt very relaxed watching her and I was able to easily follow what she was saying.

"The interviewees gave a nice spruce up to the piece - and Olivia brought it back to another newsworthy topic of the BAFTAs at the end of the piece. Nicely done."

Kelsea: "This is an impressive amount of work and Kelsey was able to address a very sensitive topic for many women around the world. She used her contacts to include some very good voices, and she used some very good graphics to explain her voice over too. The link to Eastenders was interesting and something I haven't seen before. Kelsey also identified an issue in England and Wales of the very little help available to women who have undergone cutting. Well done for creating a good storyline through the 30 minutes - it’s not easy!"

Aisha: "What an impressive amount of work! I really liked the brand development and the video content linked in. I was impressed by Aisha identifying a niche topic and bringing it to light with her own research, that of others and then building this into something to help and inspire others. It’s a really well-rounded body of work and also very well presented - which was very nice to see and easier to digest.”

Broadcast Journalist of the Year Award

Judge: Gamal Fahbulleh

Winner: Harriet Heywood

Runner-up: Emmie Norton

Runner-up: Aaron Benzoe

Judges' comments:

“Harriet's piece was a great example of a broadcast-ready package made during a news day. Engaging, human, and really well told."

Feature Writer of the Year Award

Judge: Janet Reeder

Winner: Scarlett Mullender

Runner-up: Ben Rudd

Runner-up: Melanie Cionco

Judge's comments:

“It was very hard to judge this competition this year. Every piece had its merits, and the writing was excellent. I wished there could have been more winners! I chose the winner and runners up for the reasons below, but I loved reading everyone's submissions.

"I really liked Scarlett Millnder's  very modern “confessional” piece of writing which didn’t pull any punches. It’s a compelling story and I felt that Scarlett showed a fearlessness in her writing. It was a very inspiring feature. Scarlett also submitted a more newsy piece about clean air in Salford which demonstrated her ability to write more objectively. I feel she’s a worthy winner of this award.

"I was also impressed by Ben's story featuring James Mulvihill, a man fighting cancer while continuing to work with FC United of Manchester Women. The writing is strong and it’s a great subject with a very engaging message. Ben shows flair and an ability to communicate the personality of the person he’s writing about.

"Finally, Manchester stop-motion short set to break boundaries of storytelling and diversity by Melanie Cioncois a strong arts piece about writer and performer Dean Atta, which I enjoyed for its intelligence and style, as well as its important subject matter.”

Eddie Lowey Award for an Outstanding Student

Presenter: Head of Journalism and Senior Lecturer, Sara Hadwin​

Winner: Sophie Hodgetts 

Comments: "The winning student has already had work on the BBC News website, covered a general election count for BBC Local Radio, completed work experience at Wiltshire Life, hosted a Shock Radio podcast, and learnt to tech in the gallery in between creating a wealth of content.

"She has also contributed to a host of open days; applicant visit days and other special events. She has registered on the radar of pretty much every member of staff – despite being one of our quieter characters. ‘Modest but valuable’ – is her own classic understatement of her contribution. Just this week she was burning the midnight oil to complete her own project but was then back to provide ‘moral support’ for mates completing theirs.

"She’s the sort of person you’d want around both as a colleague and a friend. I’m sure she’ll go far while still being true to herself. 

"So, I am delighted to present this year’s Eddie Lowey Award to the quietly confident and amazing, Sophie Hodgetts!"