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UCD Smurfit School announces 2021 Business Journalist Awards Shortlist

  • Date: Tue, Nov 30, 2021

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The Smurfit Business Journalist Awards honour excellence in Irish business journalism across the media spectrum, with entries submitted by nominees themselves or on behalf of journalists by their editors or peers. The awards are adjudicated by an independent panel of judges comprising business, journalism and academic leaders.

Since its launch in 2007, the UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards have received over 1,400 entries from business journalists across print, broadcast and online media outlets in Ireland. The winner of each category will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on Monday, 13th December, with each category winner receiving a €1,000 cash prize.

A total of 23 journalists in six categories have been shortlisted as follows:

Category A: Business News Story of the Year

Joe Brennan

The Irish Times

Peter O'Dwyer

Business Post

Barry J Whyte

Business Post


Category B: Podcast of the Year

Aoife Barry, Ian Curran, Sinead O'Carroll and Nicky Ryan 

The Journal

Gavin McLoughlin

Newstalk


Category C: Business Feature of the Year

Thomas Hubert

The Currency

Tom Lyons

The Currency

Fearghal O'Connor

Sunday Independent

Charlie Taylor

The Irish Times


Category D: Specialist Business Reporter of the Year

Róisín Burke

Business Post

Shane Phelan

Irish Independent

Niall Sargent

Noteworthy

Killian Woods

Business Post


Category E: Business Interview of the Year

Tom Lyons

The Currency

Donal MacNamee

Business Post

Laura Slattery

The Irish Times

Killian Woods

Business Post


Category F: Upcoming Journalist

Devin Seán Martin

The Currency

Sarah Taaffe-Maguire

Business Post

Gill Stedman

RTÉ


In addition to the six categories listed above, an Outstanding Achievement Award will also be presented at the awards ceremony. This honorary award recognises a journalist who, throughout their career, has helped to enhance the understanding of business in Ireland and inspired others. The previous winners of this award are Frank Fitzgibbon; Brendan Keenan; Damien Kiberd; Cliff Taylor; Richard Curran; Matt Cooper; Charlie Weston; Ingrid Miley, Tony Connelly, along with the 2019 recipient, Karlin Lillington.

This year, a new award has been added. The Outstanding Achievement in Industry Award will recognise an organisation that has significantly impacted business journalism in Ireland.

This year’s independent panel of judges was chaired by Breege O’Donoghue, Primark Brand Ambassador; and was comprised of academic, journalistic and business representatives including JP Donnelly, Head of Country, WPP; Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director of UCD Smurfit Business School and Associate Dean of UCD College of Business; Audrey Healy, Head of Marketing and Communications and Director of Alumni Relations; Niamh Hennessy, Client Director, Healy Communications; Professor Anne Keegan, Professor of Human Resource Management, UCD College of Business; Professor Seamas Kelly, Professor of Organisation, Technology & Society, UCD College of Business; Caitlin McBride, MBA alumna, UCD Smurfit School and Image Scholar Recipient '21; Gary McGann, Chairman of Flutter Entertainment plc; Susan O’Keefe, Executive Director of Yeats Society Sligo; Noirin O’Sullivan, UN Assistant Secretary General; Associate Professor Paul Ryan, Vice Principal for Teaching & Learning, UCD Smurfit School; and Anton Savage, Broadcaster and a founding Director of The Communications Clinic.

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