Shortlist announced for 2024 Media Literacy Ireland Awards

Thank you to everyone who entered the 2024 Media Literacy Ireland Awards.

The judges have deliberated. The scores are recorded, and shortlisting is complete!

These awards aim to recognise initiatives that empower individuals and communities with media literacy skills. The calibre of the entries this year was exceptional, demonstrating the diverse and innovative ways that media literacy is being delivered across Ireland.

Members of our judging panel met six times in groups of three and four to carefully evaluate all the submissions. Martina Chapman, MLI National Coordinator was an observer to the proceedings.

Our sincere thanks go to the following judges who generously shared their time, insights and knowledge: Andrew Byrne (CnaM), Eileen Culloty (DCU), Eileen Morrissey (LAI), Fred Boss (NCCA), Jane McGarrigle (Webwise), Karen McAuley (CnaM), Lisa Buckley (NewsBrands Ireland), Máire Aoibhinn Ní Ógáin (TG4), Mick McCaffrey (Virgin Media), Ricardo Castellini da Silva, Stephanie Comey (CnaM) and Susan Daly (The Journal Media).

Congratulations to all the shortlisted nominees. The overall winners will be announced at the MLI Awards event on 21 November, kindly hosted by Virgin Media.

Shortlisted entries for the Best Media Literacy Initiative for Older People

DiSeRA

This project was designed to help older people in rural areas navigate online information more safely and to spot disinformation. It was delivered in Italy, North Macedonia, Slovakia and Ireland and EurAV developed the audio-visual learning tools for all four countries.

What the judges said: ‘We liked the multifaceted nature of this initiative and that it was very much rooted in local communities. In particular, we loved how the project reached older people in seldom-heard communities through familiar community settings.’

The Joe Finnegan Show

The Joe Finnegan radio show hosted an on-air digital surgery for listeners with the Northern Sounds Social Media Manager offering advice and instruction on how to best use the digital technology that is part of all our lives.

What the judges said: ‘It is great to see local radio shows embracing this topic and helping to address the media literacy needs of their listeners through high-quality output.’

Shortlisted entries for Best Media Literacy Initiative for Young People

The Into Film Games programme

This is an educational games programme funded by NI Screen and designed to develop the media literacy skills of young people aged 5–19.
What the judges said: ‘This is an excellent initiative which uses games as a way of empowering young people to take control of their media consumption and to develop storytelling skills and character construction.’

The Rubbish Film Festival

This is an educational initiative by Createschool aimed at enhancing media literacy and environmental awareness among Transition Year students in Ireland. By creating short films on environmental topics, students learn to use media responsibly, verify information and convey accurate messages.
What the judges said: ‘This is a great initiative that used very interesting and innovative approaches such as linking media and environmental literacy, and was underpinned by strong peer-education and collaborative elements.’

Scenario X

This is an ambitious short film project by Emerging Limerick Filmmakers which enabled young people to pitch, devise, produce and deliver two high-concept short films with real budgets and professional support.
What the judges said: ‘This is a brilliant initiative which provided a high level of empowerment by enhancing participants’ critical media understanding, encouraging self-reflection and creative expression. Through hands-on experience, young people could explore complex media themes, storytelling, communicative tools and film language.’

Shortlisted entries for the Best Community-Based Media Literacy Initiative

The BMS Workshop in a Box

This training resource was designed by EDMO Ireland and MLI to be an easily accessible and usable support to help community leaders deliver media literacy training in the heart of their communities.
What the judges said: ‘This is a really great resource with wide reach, including libraries, schools and all members of the community. It is very adaptable, and the evidence suggests this will continue to evolve and develop.’

Many Voices One Kingdom

This initiative from Radio Kerry focused on empowering marginalised and underrepresented voices within the local community, giving them access to the station, making them less wary of the media, and allowing them write and produce a message of their choice.
What the judges said: ‘This is a very creative and empowering initiative that gave people from seldom-heard communities the skills and knowledge to create and participate in media, with the added benefit of the content produced being useful in countering inaccurate narratives about these communities.’

The Promises and Perils of Generative AI for Healthcare

This research initiative from the National College of Ireland explores the promises and perils of AI, in particular the power dynamics, political relationships and justice concerns that come with data generation, use and ownership.
What the judges said: ‘This is a very worthy project that demonstrated a very innovative approach to supporting disadvantaged communities, with easily accessible information and linked data inequalities to health inequalities. It is very rooted in local communities.’

Questions Matter

This initiative from NALA and 80:20 built on the Facts Matter resource and aimed to promote critical thinking and digital media literacy through anti-poverty and social inclusion approaches.
What the judges said: ‘This entry demonstrated a truly inclusive and engaging approach to meeting people where they are and offering practical and achievable activities to address big issues. The micro-learning was particularly innovative, with evidence of high levels of interactivity.’

Shortlisted entries for Best Media-Led Media Literacy Initiative

Be Media Smart Radio campaign

Coordinated by Learning Waves, the national 2023 Be Media Smart campaign message was promoted on-air and online across a network of 31 independent radio stations.
What the judges said: ‘This initiative brilliantly demonstrates the powerful role that local radio has in the promotion of media literacy, and the incredible reach it has across the country, especially in relation to spreading the Be Media Smart message.’

Digital Media & You Roadshow

This radio roadshow from Beat 102 103 was delivered in-person to over 20 schools in the southeast. Fronted by popular presenters from the regional youth radio station, this initiative reached over 2,000 First Year students over a period of four months, and continues to live online.
What the judges said: ‘This is a superb initiative. It is a shining example of how the media can develop and deliver media literacy projects that really engage their audiences. It was clear that a lot of thought was put into every stage of the project.’

The Knowledge Bank

Created by The Journal FactCheck team, this initiative provides the public with a living repository of explainers on consistently contentious topics in the Irish online space, as well as media and news literacy content which can be accessed and shared to help foster critical thinking skills.
What the judges said: ‘This is a great example of a project that is on a journey. It is notable for its focus on empowering people via fact-checking and the use of engaging content and topics that would appeal to a wide range of people and are likely to be of use on an ongoing basis.’

TG4

This entry provided an overview of the diverse range of ways that national broadcaster TG4 has employed to promote media literacy and support MLI.
What the judges said: ‘This entry demonstrated the many ways that media organisations can effectively use their reach, resources and expertise to promote media literacy on a long-term basis.’

Shortlist for Best General Media Literacy Initiative

Digital Media Literacy Module

This module for UCD MA students aims to train media literate citizens by developing a combined set of competencies relating to knowledge and skills necessary for life and work in today’s global and digital world in various contexts.
What the judges said: ‘We really liked this initiative, and the methods adopted to deliver it. Of particular interest was the creation of media literacy champions, and we look forward to seeing how the initiative develops and how the outcomes evolve.’

i-HealthFacts

This is a trusted online health fact-checking service that enables the public to submit questions about health claims encountered across all media and provides tailored, relevant and timely information not available elsewhere.
What the judges said: ‘This is an excellent and robust resource developed and delivered to high standards with limited resources and there is further potential for it, especially in relation to how it might be further promoted.’

Uisce Faoi Thalamh: An Investigation into Online Disinformation in Ireland

This research project from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue maps the scale, scope and impact of online disinformation in Ireland, and aims to provide a robust data set to inform policymakers.
What the judges said: ‘We were very impressed with this project, noting how comprehensive it was and its potential use to a wide range of stakeholders, especially as it does not seem to be done by anyone else in Ireland.’

Webwise

This is the Irish Safer Internet Awareness Centre which promotes safer, better internet use through awareness-raising and education initiatives targeting educators, children, young people and parents.
What the judges said: ‘This was a very strong entry that provided clear evidence of empowering the target audience and delivering impact by using innovative approaches and implementing a robust evaluation process.’