Four nominations for CfJ alumni in the NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2021

Plus a fifth nomination for the Centre in the 'Innovation of the Year' category

CfJ alumni have been nominated for four awards in this year’s NCTJ Awards for Excellence – and it could be the fifth year running that a CfJ graduate wins ‘best student project’.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) holds the awards each year to highlight the achievements of individuals with promising journalism careers ahead of them. This year, a record-breaking 481 entries were received across all categories from student, trainee and apprentice journalists. Among the 66 names who were shortlisted are:

  • CfJ alumna Laoise Gallagher for both ‘Community News Project’ award and ‘Best student project’
  • CfJ alumna Lily Morl for ‘Best student project’
  • CfJ alumna Jem Collins for the ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ award, sponsored by the Financial Times.

Laoise graduated with a 1st class BA in Journalism earlier this year and is now a Community Reporter for Kent Online. Her shortlisted documentary on ‘Actually Autistic: Hiding in plain sight’ is available to watch on YouTube. During her studies at CfJ, Laoise scooped a role as a Features Writer for Irish Dancing Magazine.

Lily completed her Journalism BA degree earlier this year. She’s now a trainee reporter for Buckinghamshire Live News. Her shortlisted TV documentary is entitled ‘Transplants – The Patients on Pause’.

If either Laoise or Lily wins, it will be the fifth consecutive year a CfJ student has won this prestigious award. Previous CfJ winners in this category are: Adam Landau (2020), Isabel Eidhamar (2019), Mike Haffenden (2018) and Boglarka Kosztolyani (2017).

Jem graduated from CfJ with a BA in Journalism in 2014. She is a digital journalist and is the founding Director and Editor-in-Chief of Journo Resources. Since January 2020, she is also an Assistant Lecturer at CfJ, leading on online journalism. The award for which she is shortlisted recognises the outstanding work of individuals, educators and trainers, and employers who promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the media and training sector.

Finally, CfJ is also in the running for ‘Innovation of the Year.’ The Innovation of the Year Award recognises the unique contribution NCTJ centres like CfJ make to the education and training of journalists on accredited courses. It is open to centres that have improved upon – or extended beyond – current expectations of best practice in education and training.

Winners will be announced in a ceremony in spring 2022.


NCTJ accreditation

The NCTJ is the industry’s charity that delivers the premier training scheme for journalists in the UK. NCTJ accreditation for journalism degree programmes is the hallmark of excellence in journalism training, providing a world-class industry standard that is recognised throughout the media. Programmes at CfJ are fully accredited by the NCTJ, meaning you can graduate not just with a university degree, but also with an NCTJ Diploma – the closest thing there is to a passport to a job in UK journalism. Find out more about our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.