PA 361/11
Former Students’ Union magazine editor Dave Jackson has been shortlisted for the ‘Student Journalist of the Year’ prize at the ‘Mind’ Media Awards 2011.
The University of Nottingham graduate, who is now an ‘Editorial Project Manager’ at Elsevier, was nominated for his article — the hidden clique — which examines the difficulties that some students face when first adjusting to university life.
The nomination is the second time that an Impact magazine contributor has been recognised by the charity, after another former editor — Nicola Byrom — won the same award in 2009. Nicola’s article investigated why mental health is seen as a taboo topic and questioned whether the services provided by universities and the NHS are up to scratch.
Ahead of the award ceremony, Dave revealed he was delighted that, as the only written entry to be shortlisted, both he and the magazine had been recognised for their work to raise important student issues.
He said: “I struggled to settle in at university in my first year, and I was very fortunate indeed to find myself in a position later on (as Editor-in-Chief of Impact) to try and speak to students who were perhaps feeling the same way. I would have been pleased to reach even a single student with the article, so to have received so much positive feedback — and now national recognition — is fantastic.
“More than anything, my nomination is a reflection of years of coverage Impact has given to student issues. The magazine is a really important tool for reaching students, particularly on sensitive issues such as such as mental health, alcohol, money and employment. Likewise, it provides a platform which enables people — like me — to share their experiences.”
Daniel Barry, Democracy and Communications Officer at the Students’ Union, added: “The Students’ Union is incredibly proud of Dave’s achievement and we are pleased that his fantastic literary talents have been recognised on a national scale. During his time in Nottingham, Dave was an asset to Impact and the Students’ Union, working tirelessly as Editor-in-Chief of the magazine while juggling writing commitments and a challenging degree.
“By making the shortlist of these prestigious awards, Dave has demonstrated his own journalistic ability while simultaneously reflecting the excellence of Impact as a nationally recognised student magazine. We wish Dave the best of luck at the ceremony and sincerely hope that he emerges with the award on the night.”
Run by the prominent mental health charity, the
Mind Media Awards will take place on Monday 28 November at BFI Southbank, London to celebrate journalism which combats the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Others nominated in various categories at the awards this year include: Dolphin boy (More 4) and Chilean miners: What happened next (BBC 2) — Documentary Award, Access to talking treatments (BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat) — News and Current Affairs Award, Casualty (BBC 1) — Drama Award and Amelia Gentleman (The Guardian) — Journalist of the Year Award.
For more information about Impact magazine, please visit:
www.impactnottingham.com —Ends—
For up to the minute media alerts follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/UoNPressOffice Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia. Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fund-raising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. For more details, visit:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/impactcampaign More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at:
www.nottingham.ac.uk/news The University of Nottingham Students’ Union is one of the largest in the sector with over 35,800 members on campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia from over 140 different countries. The Union exists to represent the interests of its members to relevant stakeholders and to provide quality services and development opportunities for its membership.
The Union operates almost 200 student-led societies and 77 sports clubs for its members. Its student-run fundraising organisation, Karnival, is one of the largest in Europe raising over £1,000,000 for good causes throughout 2009/20010. It boasts the oldest Student Community Action (now the Student Volunteer Centre) which has approximately 2,000 students participating in over 120 projects. URN, the student radio station, and Impact, the student magazine, have won a clutch of recent national accolades.
As well as this the Union also operates three retail outlets, two bars and a print shop to serve its members. Profits are passed back into the Union to fund member-based activities.
More information about the Students’ Union can be found at:
www.su.nottingham.ac.uk