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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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