The University Observer has received a total of 16 nominations in the National Student Media Awards (SMEDIAs).
The University Observer has received a total of 16 nominations in the National Student Media Awards (SMEDIAs).
The newspaper was nominated for two major publication awards, including Newspaper of the Year and Design and Layout of the Year.
In individual awards categories, the University Observer team were nominated for a total of 14 awards.
Editor Adam Schmitz was nominated for Editor of the Year. Deputy Editor Orla Mahon was nominated for Journalist of the Year. Schmitz and Mahon shared a nomination for the category Journalist of the Year - National Media.
The University Observer received three nominations in the category Feature Writer of the Year - Arts & Pop Culture, with OTwo Editor Alice Keegan, Fashion Editor Polly Rogers, and Nicole Pontes Coelho all receiving nominations. In the category of Feature Writer of the Year - News & Current Affairs, Orla Mahon received a nomination.
In the category of Journalism Relating to Travel, the University Observer received three nominations. Travel Editor Mary O’Leary, News Editor John O’Connor, and Features Editor Benjamin Floyd were all nominated for this award. For the category of Journalism Related to Health, Adam Schmitz received a nomination.
The University Observer also received a nomination for The Joe Drennan Award, Journalism Relating to Road Safety. This award is named in honour of Joe Drennan, a journalism student at the University of Limerick, who was tragically killed in 2023. Orla Mahon was nominated for this category.
In the category of Short Story of the Year, John O’Connor received a nomination. The University Observer was also nominated for Collaborative Journalism of the Year, with Adam Schmitz and Orla Mahon receiving a nomination for the award.
In total, UCD received 25 nominations across all categories.
The SMEDIAs awards ceremony is set to take place at the Clayton Burlington Hotel on the 29th of April.