Nominations for the National Student Media Awards open

Nominations for the National Student Media Awards, or Smedias, have today officially opened. The awards, which are given out every April in Dublin, have been going on for the last 17 years, and form the highlight of every student journalist's calendar. Also known as the 'Oscars for students', the Smedias feature the past, present and future of Irish media, as hosts, judges and presenters are typically the best of the best from Irish television, radio and print journalism.Applications officially opened this morning, and will close on March 15th at 5pm. Around 34 awards are up for grabs on the night across print journalism, radio, television, animation and photography. Applicants will be narrowed down to a shortlist, and the winners will be announced at the lush Smedias award ceremony in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.Sponsors for awards include Science Foundation Ireland, the Broadcast Authority of Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Irish Independent, the Herald, the Road Safety Authority (RSA), The Irish Times, Foras na Gaeilge, the European Commission and more.For the first time, almost all categories can be entered digitally, with prospective winners submitting PDFs. There are some exceptions (Newspaper/Magazine of the Year, for example), but as most categories are now online only, it's even easier to apply for a much-coveted Student Media Award!For a full list of the categories, visit Oxygen.ie. Any questions? Email admin@generationy.ie. For info on how to submit content to the UCC Express for Smedias consideration, email Smedias@UCCExpress.ie.