Broadcast Journalism student Kyle Shiels was named winner in the Best Live category at the ceremony, which took place in Leeds on April 3rd.  

Shiels, who attends the University of Leeds and is part of Leeds Student TV, was one of 20 young people who received a fund of £3,000 from the RTS when the scheme launched in 2014. 

The annual NaSTA Awards was preceded by a two day conference for media students which included talks from industry experts, as well as workshops in broadcasting. It was hosted by the University of Leeds, who earlier in the year won the bid to host the weekend-long event.

"The competition in the awards is so close," said Shiels. "We are an entirely self-funded station, relying on revenue from commercial works around campus. Some other student stations receive as much as £9000 a year, so we have to really rely on the talent we have in our members to face up to the competition."

Leeds Student TV picked up 10 gongs on the night, the most they have ever received.

"The RTS has been a very large part of my time at university and at LSTV," said Shiels of his bursary. "The money has obviously helped me to do the basic university things like live for myself, but it's the support system that has been most important to me.

"They organised a mentor from ITV who I regularly meet with to discuss my course and how I can improve my abilities as a TV journalist. The RTS are always one email away, and I'm eternally grateful for them trusting me with this wonderful opportunity."

The RTS bursaries aim to widen participation in the industry by helping those in need of financial support to pursue courses in the media and related industries.