Chaired by Philip Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, the awards recognise the best audiovisual work created by students across the UK and Republic of Ireland at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Awards are judged in six categories – Animation, Comedy & Entertainment, Drama, Factual, News and Short Feature.
The university’s Mads Johan Øgaard and Katie Wyman scooped the Animation award with I Am Dyslexic; Adam Gunton and Michael Brown won the Comedy and Entertainment award for The Reunion; and the Drama prize went to Max Jedwab for Ockham’s Razor.
Dan Adamson, TwoFour’s director of programmes, who hosted the awards, told the students: “Your talent, skill and energy are needed to fill hundreds of hours of content on the telly and online. Television needs new blood, it needs new ideas and it needs new talent – all of the time.”
The Edinburgh Napier University student was awarded the Drama prize for Lethe. “This was the category that really [enthused] the judges. One said the reason he enjoyed judging the student awards so much was that because every year he’d come across gems like these,” said Henry Eagles, the chair of the judges.
Romero also won the Comedy and Entertainment award for Native Immigration, a mockumentary that boasted “high production values and a great use of graphics”.
Edd Benson from Sheffield Hallam University scooped the Animation award with Out on a Limb, which the jury praised as a “timely and thought-provoking piece”.
Fellow Sheffield Hallam University students – Amy Parker, Kirean Boughan, Lauren Griggs, Beth Elston and Chris Kelly – picked up the award in the Comedy and Entertainment category for Tug of War, which the jury commended for its “clear set up, middle and pay off – all in the right order”.
Purple Thunder Productions from York St John University won the Drama award with Eden, “an ambitious film with a real human story”.
Sean Cunningham, Paul Kavanagh, Padraic Byrne, Nicole Storck and team from the Irish School of Animation, Ballyfermot College of Further Education took the Animation award with an irreverent film about religion, Define Intervention. “The original scripting and placing of witty set pieces immediately conveyed a well-crafted animation with great attention to detail and unique comedy,” said the jury.
The annual awards recognise innovation and quality in documentary films across a number of categories, from student and international productions, to arts to current affairs documentaries.
Many of this year’s shortlisted award nominees have received RTS awards or nominations in the past year.
Among the nominees is RTS Student Awards winner Phillip Wood for Chasing Dad: A Lifelong Addiction. He is nominated in the Best Newcomer Documentary category.
Republic of Ireland RTS STUDENT TV AWARDS REGIONAL RESULTS 2016
UG Animation
| Title | Award Recipient | College |
|---|---|---|
| TEACUP |
Elif Boyacioglu Lynn O'Reilly Francesca Saunder |
Irish School of Animation Ballyfermot College of Further Education |
UG Open
A panel informed budding students about how to break into the media industry.
BBC's Arif Ansari said: "Identify one or two reporters who you admire and try to work what they do and how do they put their pieces together.
"Try to be as flexible as you can be about where you're willing to work."
Each year the RTS awards excellence in student television production in the North West. The winners will be announced on Tuesday 9 February by Good Morning Britain's Ranvir Singh.
The nominees for 2016 are as follows:
FACTUAL
Resort - Manchester School of Art/Manchester Metropolitan University
