In the latest edition of the Student Media Awards, John O’Connor and Aoife Kilbane-McGowan emerged as winners of the categories they were nominated in for articles they wrote for The University Observer. Thomas Walsh also earned a Highly Commended certificate in one category.
The 2025 Student Media Awards (SMEDIAs) ceremony took place at the Mansion House in Dublin on the evening of Wednesday April 9. This year’s edition was particularly special, as the SMEDIAs celebrated its 25th anniversary. The awards acknowledge the hard work of all the student journalists of Ireland across a wide range of categories, from radio productions to features writing in news and current affairs. The University Observer arrived at the gala with a total of 18 nominations across 12 categories, and ended the night with two victories.
The first winner of the night for the University Observer was Film and TV Editor John O’Connor, who received the Joe Drennan RSA Award for Journalism Relating to Road Safety for his article “ ‘I don’t like the feeling of a seatbelt’: Do Young People Care About Road Safety?”. In his acceptance speech, O’Connor thanked the UO team and the ceremony attendees for their support. Not long after, contributing writer to the University Observer Aoife Kilbane-McGowan stepped onto the stage to receive the European Commission Award for Journalism Relating to European Issues for their article “The Future of Social Media in the EU: Zuckerberg and Musk Face Up to the Digital Services Act”.
This marks the second year in a row that this award has gone to a University Observer writer. After receiving the award, which for this category is accompanied by a €1,000 cash prize, Kilbane-McGowan thanked their partner and quickly explained the reasons why they decided to address the subject of social media in their winning piece. For this category, Science Editor Thomas Walsh was also awarded a Highly Commended certificate for his piece “Power Struggles: European Electricity in 2024.”
Deputy Editor Lucy Warmington was asked about her opinion on the results of the ceremony. Full of excitement and very proud of her colleagues, she simply stated: “The UO is the shit.”