Winners of the 2024 Mental Health Media Awards announced

The 2024 winners of the Shine Mental Health Media Awards were announced at a special presentation ceremony in Dublin in December. The awards are organised by Shine's Media Programme, the national programme for responsible reporting and representation of mental illness.

These awards recognise excellence in media coverage of mental health issues across all platforms. It’s a unique opportunity for journalists, producers, editors, and a variety of content creators to be recognised and celebrated for achieving excellence in their approach to, and treatment of, stories of mental health and illness.

We are delighted to announce the following winners across the 11 categories:

Print & Online | National

For a single print or online news report or feature, published in a national news outlet, that deals with stories related to mental health.

• Rundown State of psychiatric unit - Eilish O'Regan for the Irish Independent

Print & Online | Local For a single print or online news report or feature, published in a local or regional news  outlet, that deals with stories related to mental health.  

• ‘I prayed they would answer their phones’ - Stephen Fernane for The Kerryman

      Print & Online | Special Interest For a specialist feature such as sport, music, food and health, related to mental health. This may be published across any platform, including newspaper supplements and magazines.

• 'Orlagh Lally: ‘There were days where I would just sit there and I didn’t care about anything’ - Malachy Clerkin for The Irish Times

 Broadcast | Long Form For a factual, long form feature/documentary, broadcast on television or radio, that deals with stories related to mental health. Long form broadcast pieces constitute a self-contained episode of a show or series or a standalone feature, i.e., a documentary.

• Patrick : A Young Traveller Lost - Alleycats for RTÉ

Broadcast | Short Form For a factual, short form, news clip/segment/interview, broadcast on television or radio, that deals with stories related to mental health.

• 13 on Tik Tok - Kate McDonald for Primetime, RTÉ

Digital Content For podcasts, interactive online features, apps, interactive documentaries and other digital technologies that use innovative content to enhance understanding of and engagement with mental health.

• The Stardust Tragedy, Episode  6 ‘Wounds Deepen’ - the Irish Sun podcast

 Refugee Mental Health Award For a piece of media, across print, broadcast or digital, that deals with current stories related to the mental health experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland. Supported by the UNHCR and the Irish Red Cross.  

• As more people seeking asylum are left to sleep rough, it makes it even harder for them to access mental health care they may need - Shamim Malekmian for Dublin Inquirer

 Student Journalism Award | in partnership with Journal Media For a piece of media, including radio, digital or print made by a student as part of a course at a university or third level institute, that deals with stories related to mental health.

• Chronic Waiting: Mental Health of Asylum Seekers in Ireland  - Madeleine Masoudi from Griffith College Dublin

 Special Recognition Award For people with lived experience of mental health challenges who share their story with the media to help educate a wider audience.

• Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost RTE One - Pat & Michelle McDonagh

Shine Audience Choice Award The Shine Audience Choice Award celebrates a piece of Irish media (print, online, broadcast or podcast) that has impacted the Irish public and/or shaped the public conversation on mental health in Ireland.

• Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost on RTÉ One

 Mental Health Champion This is awarded by Headline to an outstanding journalist who consistently champions mental health stories.  

• Alan Bradley

Shine CEO Nicola Byrne said:

“It is really encouraging to see this year’s awards attract the highest number of entries ever. It shows a heightened awareness of the importance of the themes explored across the various submissions, including Traveller mental health, rural Isolation and online harm. Congratulations to all of our award winners and, to those who were shortlisted this year we say thank you, you are all winners in helping us in our work to create more understanding around mental illness to reduce stigma and discrimination.”

Áine O’Meara, Headline Programme Lead, said  

“These awards demonstrate the vital public service provided by professional media to Irish audiences across all platforms. It has never been more important to tell these stories, and there are so many more to tell. I would encourage those working across media to continue challenging mental health stigma and champion these stories.”

To find out more about the awards go to: media@shine.ie

Contact

media@shine.ie

‍
Ellen Lynch, Communications & Engagement Manager
Phone: 086 137 0015
Email: elynch@shine.ie  
‍

‍About Shine Media Programme: Shine Media Programme is the national programme for responsible reporting and representation of mental ill health. We are a recognised global leader in innovative media and mental health practices. The media has an enormous impact on how people form their opinions about others and the society in which they live. This includes how people form their opinions on mental health and illness. Shine Media Programme works with academics and other stakeholders to reduce suicide contagion via the media, improve the media’s ability to cover mental health stories, and enhance audiences’ understanding of mental health experiences. We achieve this through our media monitoring, student and professional workshops, research, policy collaborations, fellowships and awards.  

‍About Shine Shine is a national charity that supports people with lived experience of mental illnesses, their family members and supporters. We are a mental health organisation that has been serving Ireland for over 40 years. Our vision is of a more compassionate Ireland where those affected by mental illness and stigma are supported and included in all aspects of society. Shine is proud to have been the first national mental health organisation specifically founded to support all family members. Shine provides Community Recovery Services, manages the Green Ribbon national stigma reduction programme and the national Media Programme for responsible reporting and representation of mental illness and suicide. Advocacy is an important part of Shine’s work as we campaign to shape better policies and services for all those affected by mental health challenges. Another important Shine initiative is our Workplace Programme. Having identified the workplace as a key setting for social change around attitudes to mental health problems, we developed a specialised programme using a six-step framework to empower Irish workplaces to create an open and honest culture about mental health, and to tackle mental health stigma in the workplace.