Inaugural regional journalism student awards announced.
Lincoln University’s Natasha Turney was crowned Journalism Student of the Year at the inaugural Midlands Media Student Awards – on a night when “girl power” captured most of the honours.
Sky News Managing Editor Peter Lowe, who headed the judging panel, awarded the accolade to Natasha – winner of the Culture Category – ahead of other category winners Rebecca Green (University of Worcester), Olivia Stocks (Birmingham City University), Tania Brown (Nottingham Trent University), Emma Jane Boyle (Birmingham City University), Mike Barnes, Staffordshire University, Emma Everitt (University of Lincoln), Oliver Loe (Nottingham Trent University) and James Forrest (City of Wolverhampton College), who earlier this year won the Johnson Press award for court reporting at the NCTJ’s annual Student Council event. James is now working on the Worcester News.
Natasha’s award-winning entry, Death of a Clown, was a ten-minute film about the difficult times faced by people who run circuses and those who work in them.
“The fusion of her minimalistic scripting, the interviews and the excellent pictures, for which Natasha was responsible, resulted in a very rich, beautifully-paced piece. All the winners have enormous merit, but I think Natasha showed the greatest amount of quality and creativity in her work,” said Peter Lowe.
The Awards, launched to recognise the emerging talent of next-generation journalists and broadcasters, were organised by Cloud 9 Event Management as part of Birmingham Press Club’s 150th anniversary celebrations. They attracted more than 110 entries from media students throughout the East and West Midlands.
Now working as a broadcast assistant at BBC Lincolnshire, Natasha picked up her trophy from BBC Midlands Today presenter Mary Rhodes. Natasha studied journalism and radio/television broadcasting at the University of Lincoln from 2011-2014, where she also acted as a Student Ambassador, which involved representing the university at Open Days, talking to prospective students and parents and presenting student life talks. Before going to university she was educated at Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre and Gloucestershire College, gaining work experience at Radio Bristol and online magazine So Glos.
The Awards were sponsored by Purple Frog Property with support from Real People Communications, Express & Star and Bournville College.
Internships to category winners were provided by Artsbeat, Clive Reeves PR, Derby Telegraph, Express & Star, ITV News Central, Lincolnshire Business magazine and website The Lincolnite, Orion Media, Quidem Midlands, Takeover Radio, Tamworth Herald, Taste the Seasons, Trinity Mirror, Worcester News and Worksop Guardian.
