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UCD Smurfit School Launches 13th Annual Business Journalist Awards

  • Date: Wed, Aug 14, 2019

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Business Journalist Awards Launch 2019

Pictured: Paula Murphy, Head of Strategic Sponsorship, Bank of Ireland; Professor Anthony Brabazon, Dean of UCD Business; Breege O’Donoghue, Judging Panel Chairperson, Primark Brand Ambassador; and Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. 

Wednesday, August 14, 2019. UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School has, today, launched the 13th Annual Business Journalist Awards to recognise and reward excellence in Irish business journalism across all media platforms. This year will see Bank of Ireland continue their sponsorship of the prestigious awards.

Online, print and broadcast business journalists are invited to submit entries via www.smurfitschool.ie/bja before the closing date of Wednesday, September 11, 2019. Entries to the awards, which are run in conjunction with the Business Journalists Association of Ireland, can be submitted by nominees themselves, editors or peers. The winner of each category will be honoured at an awards ceremony on December 2, 2019 and will each receive a €1,000 prize.

There are six categories open for contention this year:

  • Business News Story of the Year
  • Economic Commentator/Business Analyst of the Year
  • Business Feature of the Year
  • Specialist Business Reporter of the Year
  • Business Interview of the Year
  • Upcoming Journalist of the Year

In addition to these entry-based categories, the judging panel may also award an Outstanding Achievement Award. This recognition has only been awarded on eight occasions.

Speaking at today’s launch, Professor Anthony Brabazon, Dean, UCD College of Business said:

“Business journalism plays a crucial role in helping society gain a real understanding of the major financial and economic issues which shape our lives. With greater complexity in both national and international markets, the expertise needed to analyse and report with accuracy and clarity is increasingly important. It is fitting that as Ireland’s foremost international business school that we recognise and reward these standards of excellence.”

Commenting on the awards, Paula Murphy, Head of Strategic Sponsorship, Bank of Ireland, added:

“Bank of Ireland is proud to support quality in business journalism across Ireland by sponsoring the UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards for 2019. Leading journalism offers valuable insight and perspectives on important topics and issues and is a key component of a thriving business community. The awards scheme is therefore an important initiative to recognise excellence among business journalists in their reporting and analysis of Ireland’s commercial and economic landscape.”

MORE ABOUT THE AWARDS

Each entry is examined by an independent panel of judges, comprised of academic, journalistic and business leaders. The 2019 judging panel includes Breege O’Donoghue (Chair), Chair of Design and Craft Council of Ireland, Chair of Real World Analytics & Former Board Member at Primark; Alison Cowzer, Co-founder of East Coast Bakehouse; Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and Associate Dean, UCD College of Business; Professor John Geary, Professor of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management, UCD College of Business; Professor Susi Geiger, Professor of Marketing, UCD College of Business; Jerry Liston, former Chairman of UCD Smurfit School, BWG Group, Kevin Broderick Ltd., Balcas Timber Ltd and former Board Member of Glanbia plc.; Anne Nolan, Board Member, Cricket Ireland & Advisory Board Member, Irish US Council; Jane O’Sullivan, writer and journalist; Aileen O’Toole, Co-founder of The Sunday Business Post and Non-Executive Director, The Road Safety Authority and Business in the Community; Anton Savage, Broadcaster and Director of the Communications Clinic; Professor Karan Sonpar, Professor of Management, UCD College of Business. More judges to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Awardees from 2018 include: Business News Story of the Year was awarded to Dearbhail McDonald, Shane Phelan and Samantha McCaughren of the Sunday Independent for their submission, “ODCE claims INM data taken off-site and 'interrogated' but 'board did not know’”. Tom Lyons, The Sunday Business Post, was awarded Best Business Feature for his submission, “Siteserv: Anatomy of a deal”. Fiona Reddan, The Irish Times, was awarded the Specialist Business Reporter of the Year, while Laura Slattery, also of The Irish Times, won the award for Best Business Interview for her interview with Mike Bloomberg: “Make America Great Again? It’s never been greater”. Stephen Kinsella, The Sunday Business Post, was recognized as the Economic Commentator/Business Analyst of the Year for his two submissions, one on “Ireland’s Generation Game” and the second entitled, “Taxes, Tweets, and Multinationals. An international problem we need to solve domestically”. The Upcoming Journalist of the Year was jointly awarded to Peter Hamilton, The Irish Times and Amy Molloy, Irish Independent. The Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Tony Connelly of RTÉ for his contribution to business journalism in reporting on key events in Europe and how they impact on economic affairs, business and society.

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