Egyptian student is Smedias' Journalist of the Year
An Egyptian student has been named Journalist of the Year at the National Student Media Awards (Smedias).
Mostafa Darwish, who is studying for a Masters in Journalism in the University of Limerick (UL) took the top prize for his focus on issues relating to asylum seekers living in the Direct Provision system, Syrian refugees, cultural production and the economic crisis in Egypt.
Mr Darwish, an immigrant from Egypt, is also living in the Direct Provision system.
The award was judged by Irish Examiner Editor Tom Fitzpatrick.
UL was also the big winner at this year's awards, which were announced via a Zoom webinar, collecting a total of six awards.
As well as winning Journalist of the Year, its students also won Video Journalist of the Year and Sports Writer of the Year.
Awards for Magazine of the Year and Magazine Layout and Design of the Year both went to UL’s college Magazine Grapevine.
UL’s College Website, An-Focal, also won Website of the Year for the second year in a row.
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Cork (UCC) were the joint runners up on the night, winning a total of five awards each.
TCD won Film Script of the Year, SFI Journalism Relating to Science, Newspaper Layout and Design of the Year, Features Writer of the Year - Arts and Pop Culture, and Iriseoireacht Scríofa.
UCC won first place in Small College/Society Publication of the Year, Blog of the Year, Radio Journalist of the Year, European Commission Award and Newspaper of the Year.
University College Dublin (UCD) and Technological University Dublin (TUD) took home four awards.
Dublin City University, Waterford Institute of Technology, Queens University Belfast and Griffith College Dublin took home two awards each including all the photography awards.
National University of Ireland Galway, the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Limerick Institute of Technology and Ballyfermot College of Further Education all won one award.
