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# Midlands Media Student Awards: Birmingham students take top prizes
- URL: https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/midlands-media-student-awards-birmingham-students-take-top-prizes/
- Published: 2019-04-11T14:38:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-14T10:04:19.000Z
- Author: Birmingham Eastside
- Tags: Culture, Data, News, #Migrated-1786701253228, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-14 09:54

Students from **Birmingham City University** dominated the **Midlands Media Student Awards** last night (10 April) as they took three of the 10 prizes at the ceremony.

**Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra** won in the News category trophy, **Victoria Oliveres** won the award for Data Journalism, and **Lucy Ryan** took home the prize for Broadcasting (Radio).

The awards, organised by **Birmingham Press Club**, attracted several hundred entries from universities and colleges across the East and West Midlands.

Victoria Oliveres's prize-winning entry used Freedom of Information requests to police forces to reveal that online disability hate crimes had tripled in three years, while the judges said that [Wan’s entry](https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/content/files/2026/08/wanulfanurzuhra.html) stood out for its powerful mixture of investigative and data journalism on topical public interest issues.

- [***Read Wan Ulfa's award-winning work on Birmingham Eastside***](https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/content/files/2026/08/wanulfanurzuhra-1.html)
- [***Read Victoria Oliveres's reporting on Birmingham Eastside***](https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/content/files/2026/08/voliveres.html)

Lucy Ryan’s portfolio turned a tragic series of events into a compelling broadcast – [using first-hand accounts and expert analysis to put the spotlight on the “Lonely Death of Janet Parker,”](https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/birmingham-smallpox-outbreak-remembered/) who was the world’s last recorded smallpox fatality, dying in Birmingham in 1978.

- *Previously:* [***Birmingham smallpox outbreak remembered***](https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/birmingham-smallpox-outbreak-remembered/)

## Highly Commended

Birmingham City University students **Hafsa Naveed** (Broadcasting: Television), **Anisah Vasta** and **Abigail Nruah** (Culture), **Lydia Johnson** (Culture), **Sania Aziz** (Data Journalism) and **Calum Archibald** (Broadcasting: Radio, and Data Journalism), were all highly commended.

The event was held at Mama Roux’s in Digbeth, hosted by BBC Radio WM presenter Alex Noble.

University of Gloucestershire student **Hesham Abdelhamid** took the Student of the Year accolade after having collected the Features Category trophy earlier in the evening.

Birmingham Press Club chairman **Llewela Bailey** said:

> “Many well-known names in the media world have kick-started their careers after having successfully negotiated their courses at Midland universities and colleges. And I have no doubt that those who entered our awards will be following in their footsteps.  
>  
> "The standard of submitted work was truly outstanding – a real credit to the lecturers who are helping to craft their careers.”

## Midlands Media Student Awards interactive

Birmingham Eastside has created a special interactive visualisation with details on every student shortlisted for an award. Explore it below!