#SPANC26 AGM – submit your motions now
SPA 2026 National Awards shortlists announced
You've done it again, it's another record-breaking year for the SPA National Awards and we retain our crown as the UK and Ireland's BIGGEST journalism prize.
1404
Number of entries received for the SPA 2024 national awards
(That’s our highest ever!)
If you find yourself on the shortlist - well done!
We hope we see you in Norwich from March 27th to 29th for our glittering awards ceremony to find out if you’ve won: get your tickets here.
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.
Can’t make it? Our awards ceremony will be live-streamed as in previous years.
Best Publication
Sponsored by…
- The Boar
- Brig Newspaper
- The Cheese Grater
- Cherwell
- Concrete
- Epigram
- Forge Press
- Palatinate
- Roar News
- The University Times
Best Specialist Publication
- The Apiary
- BRAW Magazine
- The Courtauldian
- Indigo
- La Civetta
- Perspectives
- Planorama
- Rewind
- That’s What She Said
- UCC Student Medical Journal
Best Newcomer Publication
- The Dove
- Graig Dispatch
- Irisín
- Passion
- The Pigeon
Best Design (Newspaper)
- Brig Newspaper
- The Courier
- Epigram
- Gair Rhydd
- The Kingston Courier
- Nouse
- The Pigeon
- The Student
- The University Times
- York Vision
Best Design (Magazine)
- Bath Time
- Homeric Magazine
- Label
- The Magdalen
- Planorama
- RAZZ Magazine
- ScienceMind
- Stíl Magazine
- THREAD
Best Overall Digital Media
Sponsored by…
- The Badger
- The Cheese Grater
- Cherwell
- Epigram
- Palatinate
- Quench Magazine
- Rewind
- The Student
- The Tonic Review
- The University Times
Best Website
- Brig Newspaper
- The Cheese Grater
- Cherwell
- Hillhead Review
- Quench Magazine
- Rewind
- Roar News
- The Saint
- ScienceMind
- The University Times
Best Project or Initiative
- The Badger, Reuse Old News
- Exeposé, Talk About It
- Flying Solo, Translation
- Kinesis, Multimedia
- Nouse, The AlumNouse Letter
- The Pigeon, Student Image Initiative
- Pi Media, UCL200 & Pi Media 80th
- RAZZ Magazine, The Stewart Ross Prize
- Rewind, Pathways to the Past
- Roar News, Roar News TV
Best Culture Publication or Section(s)
- BRAW Magazine
- The Courtauldian
- Ed Fringe Review
- Epigram
- Flying Solo
- Homeric Magazine
- La Civetta
- MUSE
- Planorama
- Quench Magazine
Best Science Publication or Section
Sponsored by…
- The Badger
- The Boar
- The Courier
- EUSci
- Glasgow University Magazine
- Kinesis
- Nouse
- Roar News
- RUMS Review
- UCL Science Magazine
Best Sport Publication or Section
- The Boar
- Epigram
- Exeposé
- The Kingston Courier
- Nouse
- Palatinate
- Roar News
- The Saint
- The University Times
Billy Dowling-Reid Award for Outstanding Commitment
- Harper Alderson, The University Times
- Isabel Cattermole, The Badger
- Elizabeth Cheung, The Cheese Grater
- Grace Holloway, Roar News
- Katherine McKay, Hillhead Review
- Nick Miao, The Cheese Grater
- Eva Milne, The Jute Journal
- Emily Pitt-Shaw, Concrete
- Antonia Shipley, Nouse
- Emma van Oosterhout, Student Independent News
Best Reporter
Sponsored by…
- Anna Bickerton, The Boar
- Hannah Heilman, The Saint
- Grace Holloway, Roar News
- Go Kitajima, The Cheese Grater
- Orla Mahon, The University Observer
- Katherine McKay, Hillhead Review
- Nick Miao, The Cheese Grater
- Isla Mustin, Palatinate
- Jacob Robinson, The Mancunion
- Gaspard Rouffin, Cherwell
Best Culture Writer
- Beatrix Arnold, Cherwell
- Alex Brubaker, The Saint
- Jemima Corcoran, Pi Media
- Ben Heiss, Concrete
- Orla Mahon, The University Observer
- Alice Pollard, Brig Newspaper
- Skye Slatcher, The Beaver
- Isobel Slocombe, Forge Press
- Jess Urquhart, Brig Newspaper
- Valentina Vinciarelli, The Kingston Courier
Best Sports Reporter
- Sky Allen, The Kingston Courier
- Ben Bagley, The Saint
- Jennifer Bailey, Palatinate
- Alessandro Biffi, The University Times
- Elodie Cowan, The Saint
- Robert Delaney, The Cheese Grater
- Noelia Fernández Pérez, The Courier
- Rachel Gore, The Boar
- Emma Griffiths, Epigram
- Ciaran Myers, Spark Sunderland
Best Student Photographer
- Sky Allen, The Kingston Courier
- Joshua Bibby, Hard Magazine, Nouse
- Jason Fong, Strathclyde Telegraph
- Kinsey Gentry, The University Times
- Manraj Gill, The Saint
- Christopher Kelly-Brown, The Saint
- Fiona Muncaster, The Badger
- Micah Petyt, Concrete
- Tathan Williams, Mouth of the Ystwyth
- Arabella Wright, The Gryphon
Rising Star (Best Newcomer)
Sponsored by…
- Deimante Ciparyte, The University Times
- Ruby-May Elger, Concrete
- Kaveh Kordestani, Roar News
- Suhana Limbu, The Orbital
- Claudio Mecklenburgh, The Mancunion
- Fiona Muncaster, The Badger
- Comet Musgrove, The Cheese Grater
- Jasmine Savory, Nouse, MUSE
- Varvara Vasylchenko, The University Times
- Holly Warren, Trinity News
Best News Story
Sponsored by…
- Jack Baker, The Beaver, Former student offered ‘cash for confidentiality’ after LSE’s refusal to remark dissertation
- Isabel Cattermole, The Badger, Reform Society launch triggers campus backlash
- Daisy Hawker, Concrete, Student’s feathers ruffled over pigeon ban
- Grace Holloway, Roar News, King’s online digital economies MSc students slam ‘unacceptable’ 29% fee cut and teaching concerns
- Go Kitajima, The Cheese Grater, Over 1,300 incoming UCL students left without accommodation after last-minute application rejections
- Nick Miao, The Cheese Grater, UCL Ukrainian Society suspended after buying a drone to fight Putin
- Nikolai Morton & Tom Ryan, The Boar, Breaking: No injuries reported after fire devastates Arthur Vick accommodation block
- Emily Pitt-Shaw, Concrete, University accused of AI-generated training
- Noah Robson, Cherwell, Oxford Union standing committee could face criminal liability amid ongoing counter-terror investigation
- Conor Walsh & Stanley Smith, Cherwell, Gazan offer holders arrive in Oxford
Best Investigation
Sponsored by…
- Anna Bickerton & Martin Day, The Boar, Warwick Tories ‘Nazi anthem’ was deemed ‘free speech’ by University
- Simon Ezra-Jackson, The Damned, Fashion Police: Does the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show... give to charity?
- Guillaume Felix & Sophie Demaré, Felix, Slurs, hatred and Nazi UFOs: what really hides beneath Imperial’s popular “Agarthan Society”?
- Joshua Haining, Nouse, 117 students’ identities and conversations shared by @imjustyork_ without consent
- Archie Johnston, Stanley Smith, Arina Makarina, Gaspard Rouffin & Mercedes Haas, Cherwell, Oxford University Catholic chaplain removed after student sexual abuse complaint
- Noah Robson, Cherwell, £25,000 for insider access: The private world of Oxbridge admissions tutoring
- Gaspard Rouffin & Arina Makarina, Cherwell, Oxford University did not suspend professor investigated for rape
- Emilie Stewart, ENRG, “You feel like a second-class citizen”: Life as a couch-surfing student in Edinburgh
Best Feature
- Manraj Gill, The Saint, The language of liberation: Visiting Noor Community in Palestine
- Rachel Gore, The Boar, Just a hangover? Warwick students at risk of missing meningitis symptoms
- Hannah Heilman, The Saint, “They’re not ‘The Other”’
- Leo Jones, Cherwell, Between halls and helplines: Oxford’s eating disorder culture
- Ruby Murphy & Emmet Mythen, Trinity News, To fear the flag or fly it anyway?
- Tara Phillips, The Saint, Meet the day drinkers of St Andrews
- Tom Ryan, The Boar, Off the scoreboard: The student athletes competing for passion, not points
- Stanley Smith, Cherwell, The Oxford offer holders trapped in Gaza
- Kamila Tran, The River, Modern romance, modern rules: The emotional cost of situationships
- Emma van Oosterhout, Student Independent News, The quiet privilege powering Ireland’s internships
Best Interview
Sponsored by…
- Selina Chen, Cherwell, Anna Olliff-Cooper on being a 76-year-old student, her three-month prognosis, and defying timeMichelle Chung, Exeposé, Exeter hears from the Zoomer who runs Nigel Farage’s TikTok amid protests
- George Devo, Forge Press, Neil Kinnock: the Valley’s boy who could’ve been king
- Simon Ezra-Jackson, The Saint, Goodbye Overheardrews?
- Olivia Griffin, The Tonic Review, “My sense of self is a mosaic”: How writing made Sophie Buchaillard whole
- The Glasgow Guardian, “Show that you care and be weird!” - The UofG The Network delegates discuss TV, ups and downs, and networking
- Isla Mustin, Palatinate, “I can’t guarantee my scholarship, or even my life” Gazan student with Durham scholarship awaits evacuation
- John O’Connor, University Observer, When did you last hold your father’s hand?
- Alex Paine, The Courier, Joe Molander on ‘All Change’, making a short film and creative careers
- Anna Reznick, The Saint, Six years of St Andrews shawarma house: A conversation with restaurant owner, Aydin Daj
Best Science or Tech Piece
Sponsored by…
- Shahama Anver, York Vision, The silver lining of silverfish
- Maya Chinnappa, Nouse, What makes the Foss so green, and should we be worried about it?
- Corin Hadley, Epigram, The Spoons that spills secrets: how The Berkeley causes drama
- Bhani Kaur, The Saint, The Neuroscience of FOMO - why your brain hates being left out
- Jennifer O’Neill, The Mancunion, Be part of research: How clinical trials can change your life
- RUMS Review, ‘AI psychosis’: The digital parrot problem
- Logan Sibbald, The Saint, Welcome the wasps
- Victoria Travers, Palatinate, Inside COP30: What this year’s summit looked like and the part Durham played
- Matteo Veratelli, The Saint, Cracking the airline’s code - The math behind budget travel
- Amberly Wright, Exeposé, A biological approach to depression
Best Comment Piece
- Dominic Bradshaw, Nouse, Why I’m scared of my landlord
- Isabel Cattermole, The Badger, Jess’s Rule and the cost of reassurance
- Peter Chen, Cherwell, Racism tarnished my European year abroad experience
- Stella Fenwick, Palatinate, Watching my friend become pink-pilled
- Joseph Heston, Trinity News, College helped me overcome my school bullying-induced anxiety
- Hannah Marcus, yPolitics, Graduating into an AI job crisis
- Julia Mullins, Epigram, Better safe than sorry: Attempting to manage anaphylaxis at university
- Ellen Lundy, The Gown, Stretched thin: When the search for skinny shrinks more than the number on the scale
- Kayleigh Swart, Exeposé, Living with loss at university
- Kristina Wikensten, Brig Newspaper, Opinion: Scotland has an urgent duty to students’ mental health
Best Lifestyle Piece
- Joss Wildgoose Bulloch, The Saint, I went to Mass for the free biscuits - and found a home instead
- Jemima Corcoran, Pi Media, Behind the UCLScenes: The dangers of student confession pages
- Sasha Cowie, The Courier, My journey with herpes: why it’s not as bad as it seems
- Hannah Foley, Concrete, I went phone-sober - and I won’t go back
- Alice Pollard, Brig Newspaper, Wild swimming in Scotland: Madness vs freedom
- Mari Claudia Reimer, The Saint, I stood in front of thirty people naked: It was okay
- Connie Say, The Gown, Nessa, W1F 9UB, London: With a postcode like that, I wouldn’t be wrong to expect a bit more chutzpah
- Antonia Shipley, Nouse, Why I’ll never be nonchalant: Gen Z and the embarrassment epidemic
- Seven Standen, Gair Rhydd, Smoking more common among Cardiff students than general population
- Ella Stone, Concrete, From bookstores to BookTok: Reading in the age of social media
Best Arts or Culture Piece
- Eleanor Bate, Epigram, So, what was Weapons really about?
- Emma Coyle, Story Pennock & Aoibhinn Clancy, Trinity News, DIFW is a rich tapestry of homegrown talent
- Ziggy Himsworth, Epigram, And if you don’t know, get to know: The Bristol ballroom community
- Kalypso Isaidou, HARD Magazine, Why I love Anthony Bourdain
- Simona Lomangio, Glasgow Guardian, In conversation with Eleanor Baughan: Puglia, Scotland and songwriting
- Erin Neal, The Courier, ‘The Surfer’: Aussie thriller rides a wave of modern masculinity
- Bethany Sirianni, The Boar, The trivialisation of romance: It’s not just anything, it’s love
- Isobel Slocombe, Forge Press, Bugonia review: ‘An uncomfortably close retelling of our own reality’ - 3.5/5
- Isobel Slocombe, Forge Press, Filth and glamour: Transgression in female trouble
- Charlotte Ward, Concrete, As dawn wakes: Bon Iver review
Best Creative Piece
- Kitty Carter, RAZZ, My second dog
- Elgin Edison, The Cheese Grater, Michael Spence, inside the mind
- Matthew Ennis & Ben Morris, Nouse, Campus wildlife
- Stella Fenwick, Palatinate, The Andes
- Sofia Lambis, Epigram, ‘The orgasm gap keeps me up at night’: Overheard at UoB’s performative male contest
- Alice McCloskey, GUM, I want my words to be stitches
- William Moores, The Boar, Will’s word on Warwick: The University of Warwick 2036 Olympic bid
- Catherine Mullner, GUM, This is...planet Hinge
- Josh Palmer, The Cheese Grater, UCL anthropology to offer ‘Brainrot Studies’ module in bid to stay relevant
- Mari Claudia Reimer, The Saint, The art of an unboring date: Twelve date ideas that are not a walk on East Sands
Geri Scott
Geri Scott is an SPA trustee and has been since 2018. She is assistant political editor at The Times and as a student (a long time ago now!) was editor of Concrete, the University of East Anglia’s student newspaper.
