Courier award seals a winning week for NCTJ-accredited course

The student newspaper of the NCTJ-accredited HND Practical Journalism course at Cardonald College, the Courier, was named Scotland’s best college publication at the 14th Herald Student Press Awards last night.

Completing a successful week for the course, the prize for the Courier follows on from the paper’s editor, Rosemary Lowne, being named Write Stuff Scottish Student Journalist of the Year the previous night while Victoria Irvine was named Write Stuff best entertainment writer.

The Courier, a 24-page tabloid distributed to college students and staff, also launched a special community edition this year, allowing the second-year NCTJ students to showcase their talent to 7,000 homes around Glasgow.

Senior lecturer Martin Boyle said: “It has been another very successful year for the course. We continue to attract some of the very best in Scotland’s journalistic talent, our NCTJ results continue to rise, and now all of the students’ hard work has been rewarded.

“This award is particularly appreciated because it rewards their work as a team, and they all take away a lot of credit for their time, efforts and energy.”

Dr Gill Stewart, director of qualifications development at the Scottish Qualification Authority, said: “These awards really showcase the great talent of student journalists in Scotland.

“I congratulate all the finalists for their enthusiasm and hard work and wish them well in their future careers.

Henry Eagles, acting director of Skillset Scotland, added: “We’re well aware of the sheer scale of the talent Scotland’s colleges and universities are producing for the creative media industries. These awards prove that the future of Scotland’s creative industries is in very capable hands.”

Magnus Llewellin, senior assistant editor of The Herald and chairman of the judging panel, said: “Congratulations go to all our winners.

“We are also extremely grateful to our sponsors for sharing our vision to reward and showcase the best in student journalism in Scotland.”

This is the fifth time in six years that the Courier has been named best college publication at The Herald Awards.