Supported by Coimisiún na Meán, the MLI Awards aim to recognise and celebrate the people and projects that empower individuals and communities with essential media literacy skills.
On 21 November 2024, the winners of the 2024 Media Literacy Ireland Awards were announced at an Awards ceremony graciously hosted by Virgin Media with their Dublin studios providing the perfect setting for this celebration of excellence.
The excitement was palpable as Colette Fitzpatrick, announced the deserving winners who were presented the prestigious MLI Awards trophy by Media Development Commissioner, Rónán Ó Domhnaill.
The trophies, designed by Cian Magill of Magill Woodcraft Ireland were handcrafted from native Irish Ash & ebonised native Irish Oak of Co. Galway. The design is an abstract representation of an enlightened eye – symbolising the power within, that can be achieved with persistence and inner belief. It is also inspired by the concept of awareness, critical thinking, and one’s motivation to make a positive difference in the world.
The winner of the Best Media Literacy Initiative for Older People is The DiSeRA project.
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.
Judges’ comments:
The judges were impressed by the level of detail provided about this project.
They particularly liked the multifaceted nature of the initiative which included podcasts, experts and the blending of traditional and digital media.
The initiative was very much rooted in local, rural areas where it can be difficult for these projects to get traction.
The judges also felt that the peer-to-peer aspects of the initiative were very interesting, as was the sharing of expertise and information by European partners.
This project also showed the value of community radio in the promotion of media literacy where a lot of time can be spent on one particular topic, allowing for in-depth exploration.
The winner of the Best Media Literacy Initiative for Young People is Scenario X from Emerging Limerick Filmmakers!
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.
Judges’ Comments:
The judges felt that this project was an excellent example of an empowering project which enhanced participants’ skills and critical media understanding through professional-level filmmaking experiences.
The project encouraged self-reflection and creative expression. The hands-on experience of scriptwriting, directing and production encouraged young people to explore complex media themes, storytelling, communicative tools and film language.
The initiative demonstrated considerable impact, with participants continuing to engage in filmmaking at higher levels and inspiring their peers.
Collaboration was also a feature of the initiative and included partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including Screen Ireland, the Arts Council, and other film professionals who mentored and provided support to the young filmmakers. The initiative included regular feedback from participants and mentors, with participants completing questionnaires and engaging in open discussions to evaluate the filmmaking process. This ongoing evaluation allowed for adjustments and learning.
The winner of the Best Community-Based Media Literacy Initiative is Questions Matter by NALA and 80:20!
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.
Judges’ comments:
The judges thought that this project was brilliant, and it shone out in an incredibly competitive field. It showed a sophisticated understanding of what empowerment of learners means in this space.
There was a really exciting approach to delivering media literacy in the community, with multiple outputs and high levels of interactivity.
Traditional print, face-to-face learning, and self-directed learning were all used to equip people with skills they can use day in and day out.
This project was responding to a gap we have in adult literacy, and it used WhatsApp in a very engaging and interactive way to deliver micro-learning.
The judges felt that this was an incredibly inclusive and innovative project. It was sustainable from the point of view that it did not try and reinvent the wheel, rather it took what had been proven to work before and built on it, demonstrating a solid approach to collaboration and excellent evaluation processes.
The winner of the Best Media-Led Media Literacy Initiative is Digital Media & You Roadshow from Beat 102 103!
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.
Judges’ comments:
The judges thought that this was a superb initiative and described it as ‘a shining light of how media literacy projects should be done’.
They said it was wonderful to see a radio station engaging with schools in this way and reaching into their community in this way was really impressive.
It was anchored in collaboration and developed a multi-pronged approach from there.
The content of the Roadshow was linked to the existing Junior Cycle curriculum and embedded the media literacy messages in a really engaging and age-appropriate way.
The involvement of the presenters made the experience authentic, and a lot of thought was put into every stage of the project. Having a recorded version available for other schools really helps the scalability and sustainability of the initiative.
The judges also noted that the initiative covered a wide range of media literacy-related issues.
Overall, the initiative was very empowering, engaging and very innovative with its use of follow-up activities like quizzes.
The winner of the Best General Media Literacy Initiative is 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.
Judges’ comments:
Scoring highly against all the judging criteria, the judges were unanimous in their agreement that Webwise truly demonstrated a ‘best in class’ approach to promoting media literacy.
There was clear evidence of how the project empowered the target audience with impressive results including 37 awareness-raising events, 9,000 teachers trained, 57 articles uploaded onto their website, as well as 43,000 resources disseminated and 2.8 million page views.
Collaboration is central to how Webwise operates, and they work with a wide range of partners, nationally and internationally.
The judges were very complementary about how young people were involved in all stages of development and really admired how innovation was weaved into every aspect of the project.
The evaluation processes that are in place across the many different elements of this project are very impressive, and were viewed as an excellent example of how evaluation results can be used to further develop projects.
Judges Special Recognition Award
These awards are presented at the discretion of MLI to people or organisations who have made a significant contribution to the promotion of media literacy in Ireland.
This year, the Special Recognition Award was presented to two exceptional individuals
The first recipient, Máire Aoibhinn Ní Ógáin from TG4, was recognised for her unwavering support of Media Literacy Ireland.
The second recipient, Dr. Ricardo Castellini da Silva, was acknowledged for his instrumental role in the Be Media Smart Community training programme and the development of the Be Media Smart Workshop in a Box.
Congratulations to Máire Aoibhinn Ní Ógáin and Dr. Castellini da Silva on this well-deserved recognition for their extraordinary contributions to advancing media literacy in Ireland.
Each judging session was observed by MLI National Coordinator, Martina Chapman, and lasted around three hours. Sincere thanks to all thejudges for generously sharing their time, expertise, and valuable insights: 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).
