Best Collaboration 

This award celebrates an impressive collaboration between Media Groups only.

Nominations should discuss how effective teamwork and communication across groups has led to a successful outcome, and what this outcome was. Without this collaboration, the overall outcome would not have been possible.

Best Branding and Design 

This award celebrates a specific example of a masterfully executed and creative presentation of content and/ or an example of consistent branding across platforms.

Nominations could include screenshots, graphics, videos and audio, if this is suitable for your nomination.

Best Event 

This award is for an outstanding event delivered by a Media Group. This award is for the event itself, instead of the coverage of an event.

Nominations will discuss the aims for this event, how these aims were achieved, and any other details that you may want to add to your nomination. 

Best Online Presence 

This Media Group or individual has contributed positively towards outreach, and have displayed excellent interaction through their social media channels and/or website. 

Nominations should detail how this group or individual has achieved a successful online presence through multiple platforms, using an engaging and creative approach.

Best Technical Achievement 

This award celebrates the design and development of  a practical and successful engineering or IT solution. Awarded to Media Groups or individuals, nominations for this award should present originality and creativity. Alongside your nomination, you may want to include additional evidence, such as images, diagrams, or video clips.

Please be aware that for this category of awards, we advise that your nominations should be approximately 250 words long at maximum,  and should revolve around describing any important background details for how/why the piece was created. 

Best Comment Piece 

This award is given to an impressively argued and researched piece on any topic. This piece must be presented clearly, and could have been created using any type of media, including articles, comics, audio, or video.

Best Entertainment Piece

This entertainment piece reports on, covers, or analyses a topic within the entertainment genre through any type of media (written/audio/visual). This piece could focus on music, film, TV, art, literature, or other related areas. 

Please be aware that this award celebrates pieces that report on entertainment, and are not pieces of entertainment themselves (for example, a fictional TV show or prose piece would not be considered suitable for this award– please look to Best Creative Arts or Dramatic Piece for that!). 

Nominations should discuss why this piece deserves to win this award. You should also include the piece itself, which will be well-structured and clearly presented.

Please note that this award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video.

Best Creative Arts or Dramatic Piece 

This creative piece of content can be in the form of drama, music, fiction, comedy, or other related areas within entertainment and the arts. This piece has positively engaged an audience, through any type of media (written/audio/visual). However, this creative piece  must be produced by the group itself, rather than the group’s coverage of the piece. 

Nominations should discuss why the piece deserves to win this award. Please note that this award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video. 

Best Feature

This award is for an exceptional long-form feature piece on any topic. This piece should be well-researched, structured clearly, and demonstrate high-quality, stylish writing or production. This could be presented using any type of media (written/audio/visual). 

Nominations should discuss why the piece deserves to win this award. Please note that this award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video.

Best Interview 

This award celebrates a thought-provoking, informative, or particularly creative or entertaining interview. This interview could have been printed, audio recorded, broadcasted, or delivered with an in-person audience. Nominations should include the interview itself, which has been professionally created, suitably detailed, topical, and relevant. Its presentation will be fluid and stylish. 

Please note this award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video.

Best Coverage

This coverage is particularly engaging and comprehensive, and about a topical/significant story or event. This coverage has created an impact on the student community and its delivery is of high-quality.

Nominations will reflect upon how this coverage has provided an in-depth analysis, had an effective online presence, and made a significant impact towards the student community. 

Best News Piece 

This news piece reports on any topic within the news journalism genre, through any type of media (written/audio/visual). Nominations should discuss why this piece is well researched, and articulately presented. Additonally, nominations should detail any behind the scenes writing processes, and how the angle of the piece was selected.  

Photograph of the Year

This award is for an exceptional photograph from the past year. The image could tell a unique story, or explore a creative or innovative artistic style. It can exist as a published part of a wider publication, or multimedia project, or remain unpublished at the time of the awards (given the full context for the photos creation can be explained). 

Nominations could outline the intention and ambition behind the image, the technical journey towards its creation, or any specific impacts the photo has had since its publication. 

Best Newcomer

The Best Newcomer award is for an exceptionally dedicated individual in their first year of contributing to Student Media, and has already made a huge impact!

Nominations should clearly outline why and how the nominee’s first year has been so successful.

Best Contribution to News

This award is for an outstanding news reporter, on any platform or type of media. This news reporter has contributed to a range of news stories throughout the year. 

Nominations will provide proof regarding how the nominee has reported on many different news stories. Nominations will also discuss how this person has used in-depth research, a strong use of good sources, and consistently high-quality, fluid structures in order to cover these reports.

This award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video.

Best Contribution to Sport

This award recognises the work of an outstanding sports reporter/journalist on any platform or type of media. This reporter or journalist has been involved with many examples of sports coverage throughout the year. 

This award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video.

Best Contribution to Arts and Culture

This award celebrates an outstanding arts and culture reporter on any platform or type of media. This reporter or journalist has been involved with many pieces about arts and culture throughout the year. This reporter or journalist has demonstrated an impressive breadth of ideas and topics, in-depth research, and consistently high-quality, fluid structures and style.

Nominations should discuss how the nominee has contributed to a wide breadth of culture reporting across the year. This may include, but is not limited to: reviews, interviews, and features on multiple cultural topics. 

This award is open to nominations from all types of media including (but not limited to) satire, comics, columns, audio, and video.

Outstanding Behind-the-Scenes Contribution

An individual who has gone above and beyond behind-the-scenes, with dedication and passion to ensure the consistent functioning of their Media Group(s). 

Nominations should show how the individual has gone above and beyond to support their Media Group(s) this year. You may wish to upload additional evidence to support your nomination, such as images, diagrams, or video clips.

Outstanding Contribution to Student Media

This award recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond to help their media group thrive, and make student media at York the best it can be. They have shown an outstanding commitment to student media this year, leading their group, and the student media community generally, with exceptional dedication and professionalism. 

Nominations should detail the impact that the nominee has had, whether that be within a singular group, or across student media more generally. You may wish to upload additional evidence to support your nomination, such as images, diagrams, video clips, article outlines, etc. 

Presenter of the Year

This award recognises an individual whose smooth, dynamic, and engaging presenting style has impressed audiences on any type of programme. 

Alongside an outline about why this presenter is so outstanding, nominations should include a brief portfolio of work from across the year showing the presenter’s originality, style, personality, as well as high-quality, relevant content. 

Writer of the Year

This award celebrates an individual whose comprehensive and well-written articles have elevated the standard of every issue that they feature in. 

Alongside an outline about why this writer is so outstanding, nominations should include a brief portfolio of work from across the year showing the writer’s style, personality, and research, as well as high-quality, relevant content.

Committee of the Year

This award recognises a hard-working and dedicated Media Group Committee who have particularly excelled this academic year. This Committee has demonstrated strong teamwork and leadership across their various endeavors. 

Nominations should show how the whole committee has run effectively and efficiently across the entire year to lead their group to success. This may include: overcoming a particular barrier or difficult period, solving a problem, coming up with creative new ideas, or running totally consistently throughout the year.

Specialist Team of the Year

This award celebrates a specialist team (or individual) within student media, which covers a very specific topic of focus. This could be a section of a wider group (eg. a specific publication section, editor, or department), or a specialist group which retains a singular focus. 

Nominations should show how the group has worked to elevate their topic of focus, initiating unique conversations, creative coverage, or innovative styles of presentation to bring their specialist stories to life for a wider student audience. Nominations should discuss why this work is distinct, and why the group has chosen to tackle their specialism in this way. 

Media groups may apply for both this award and media group of the year. 

(As this is a new award this year, groups which would like further guidance on whether their team is appropriate should contact the Activities Officer at activitiesofficer@yorksu.org).

Media Group of the Year 

This award celebrates the Media Group who have had the most successful year across all of their areas. 

Nominations may demonstrate original ideas that were implemented throughout the year; positive and successful collaborations and/or events; improved quality and experience for members and audience alike; and how the group has contributed to the personal development of its members.

Nominations should place an equal emphasis on high quality output as well as student led group activities, with details about how the group worked to engage as a society as well as producer of content.