NWRC students win big at Ulster Media Show

This prestigious event was hosted by NWRC for the second year in succession, and was featured as one of the educational highlights in the 2013 City of Culture programme. It celebrated the best work by creative and digital media students from North West Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College and the University of Ulster, each of whom, in partnership with a number of leading industry organisations including BBC and UTV, form the Northern Ireland Skillset Media Academy. The Academy is aimed at developing a new wave of talent to create the style concepts and media content of the future.

Hosted by UTV’s Sarah Travers, and attended by a who’s who of leading professionals from the media industry, the event included the presentation of awards to students in categories which included moving image (fiction & non-fiction) Interactive content, Photography and radio. Local winners from North West Regional College included Richard Hamilton and Julie Moore, who collected the 1st prize and commendation prize in the Photography category.

Basil Dalton, Head of Media, Multimedia and the Arts at NWRC, explained that the awards would continue to act as catalyst to boost the career aspirations of students of the media industry:

“It is a fantastic honour for our College to host the Ulster Media Show, the highlight of the year for the NI Skillset Media Academy. Nurturing the media talent of the future is what this event is all about, and we are extremely pleased to see some many familiar faces from local broadcasting and production joining us to acknowledge the talented work of the students. We are also very grateful to our partners in the Skillset Academy for their support, and look forward to working together in the future by supporting these students as they set out for potential employment in the industry.”

Graduates from the NI Skillset Media Academy in the past have gone on to help attract to Northern Ireland production of Panorama, the flagship BBC current affairs programme. Graduates have also worked on HBO’s Game of Thrones, one of the highest grossing new television series in the world in 2011, most of which was filmed in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Skillset Media Academy is funded through the Connected programme and partnered by North West Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College, University of Ulster, BBC, UTV, Northern Ireland Screen, and Creative Skillset.

Prize winners

Moving Image, Fiction: First Prize, Peter Moir, Sian Parry and Chris Simpson, Belfast Metropolitan College.

Commendation: Peter Moir and Brendan Strong – Belfast Metropolitan College

Moving Image, Non-fiction: First Prize, Jamie Huddleson, University of Ulster. Commendation: Wilson Lynn – University of Ulster

Interactive content: First Prize: Claudia Green, University of Ulster; Commendation, Claudia Green, University of Ulster.

Photography: First Prize, Richard Hamilton, North West Regional College; Commendation, Julie Moore, North West Regional College.

Postgraduate Prize: First Prize, Vaida Blažytė and Mara Cavalli, University of Ulster; Commendation, Andrew Roy Barrett, University of Ulster.