After two years of virtual awards ceremonies, we are finally back to celebrating in person. It was really great being able to see the nominees, winners, judges, and guests from Irish media and mental health organisations. We are very grateful to everyone that attended the ceremony.
We hope that you will enjoy this short video highlighting memorable moments from the event.
#MHMA2022
Winners 2022
Mental Health Broadcasting | Short Form: South Kerry CAMHS Scandal: Voice of the Child, Barry Lenihan for RTE Radio 1
Mental Health Journalism | Local Print/Online: ‘My only chance to survive’, by Ann Murphy for The Echo
Mental Health Broadcasting | Long Form: Unspoken, Alleycats TV for RTÉ
Special Recognition Award: Micheál Costello for ‘Without my anorexia, who am I?’ featured in The Irish Independent
Mental Health Journalism | National Print/Online: How a desperate Cork family’s pleas for help ended with their beloved Kay in prison, Noel Baker for The Irish Examiner
Mental Health Content | Digital: A young person’s story on bipolar disorder and mental health language, Spunout.ie
Shine Audience Choice Award: Unspoken, Alleycats TV for RTÉ
Mental Health Content | Special Interest: Delays, distress, deterioration: Health system failing people with eating disorders, Maria Delaney for Noteworthy.ie & Journal.ie
Student Journalism Award: Student-run Twitter page highlights mental health struggles at UL, Adam Leahy for Limerick Voice
Mental Health Champion: Stefanie Preissner
Shortlist 2022
Mental Health Broadcasting | Short Form
Recognising a factual, short form, journalistic clip/segment/interview, broadcast on television or radio, that deals with current stories, topics or issues in, about or related to mental ill health:- South Kerry CAMHS Scandal: Voice of the Child, Barry Lenihan for RTE Radio 1 (Winner)
- Be Buddies not Bullies, The Joe Finnegan Show for Shannonside Northern Sound FM
- The Galway Community Cafe, John Cooke for Drivetime, RTE Radio 1
- Cocaine Addiction in Ireland, The Tonight Show, Virgin Media
- The South Kerry CAMHS Scandal, Radio Kerry News for Radio Kerry
Mental Health Journalism | Local Print/Online
For a single print or online news report or feature, published in a regional or local news outlet, about or related to mental health:- Rise in risk to patients at mental health unit, Dara Bradley for Galway City Tribune
- ‘My only chance to survive’, by Ann Murphy for The Echo (Winner)
- Dudes and Dogs, Chris Dunne for The Echo
- ‘I don’t like reporting on inquests, but here’s why I do it’, Tadhg Evans for The Kerryman
- Relief of autism diagnosis, Emma Connolly for The Southern Star
Mental Health Broadcasting | Long Form
For a factual journalistic or magazine programme broadcast on television or radio, either standalone or one episode from a series, about or related to mental health:
- Love Yourself Today, Motherland/Damian Dempsey for RTÉ
- My Passion My Power: The Fighter, RTÉ Radio 1
- Trigger for Change, Alan Meaney and Sinéad McCann for Newstalk
- Domestic Abuse – A Year of Crisis, David Doran, Barry Kelly and Ann Kiernan for RTÉ Investigates
- Unspoken (Winner), Alleycats TV for RTÉ
Special Recognition
For an individual with lived experience of mental ill health who, in their own words, shares their story to help and educate a wider audience:- Dawn O’Shea for ‘You can’t get away when your abuser is your own mind’ featured in The Irish Independent
- Clare Shine for ‘I’m no monster. I just live with something so powerful’ featured in The42.ie
- Joseph Burke for ‘How language affected my mental health’ featured on Spunout.ie
- Mary-Kate Slattery for My Passion My Power: The Fighter, featured on RTÉ Radio 1
- “Micheál Costello for ‘Without my anorexia, who am I?’ (Winner) featured in The Irish Independent
Mental Health Journalism | National Print/Online
For a single print or online news report or feature, published in a national news outlet, about or related to mental health:- Consultant says he was ‘sidelined’ after highlighting issues with prescriptions, Shane Phelan for The Irish Independent
- Delays, distress, deterioration: Health system failing people with eating disorders, Maria Delaney for Noteworthy.ie & TheJournal.ie
- Psychedelic research could hold key to treatment resistant depression, Patrick Freyne for The Irish Times
- How a desperate Cork family’s pleas for help ended with their beloved Kay in prison (Winner), Noel Baker for The Irish Examiner
- You can’t get away when your abuser is your own mind, Dawn O’Shea for The Irish Independent
Mental Health Content | Digital
For websites, podcasts, interactive online features, apps, interactive documentaries and other digital technologies that use creative and innovative techniques and content to expand knowledge and understanding of, and engagement with, mental ill health:- Men’s Health Awareness Week, A Lust for Life on Instagram
- The Explainer x Noteworthy: How is inadequate care impacting people with eating disorders?, Maria Delaney, Laura Byrne and Susan Daly
- A young person’s story on bipolar disorder and mental health language (Winner), Spunout.ie
- Istigh Liom Féin: Jonathan, BLOC TG4
- A Scandal that never sleeps: Kay Barrett, The Mick Clifford Podcast for Irish Examiner
Shine Audience Choice Award
For a piece of Irish media (print, online, or broadcast) that has impacted the Irish public and/or shaped the public conversation on mental ill health in Ireland. This is the only award chosen entirely by the public:- Unspoken (Winner), Alleycats TV for RTÉ
- The Change: Ireland’s Menopause Story, Kite Entertainment/RTÉ
- World Bipolar Disorder Day, The Pat Kenny Show/Newstalk
- Silent Treatment, Noteworthy/Journal.ie
- Breakdown: Ireland’s Mental Health Battle, Virgin Media One
Mental Health Content | Special Interest
For a feature article (550 words or longer) published in print or online that deals with stories, topics or issues in, about or related to mental health. This may include specialist features such as sport, music, food and health and may be published across any platform, including newspaper supplements or magazines:- Traveller health ‘not being prioritised’ despite ‘shocking’ outcomes for children, Maria Delaney and Michelle Hennessy for Noteworthy.ie & TheJournal.ie
- ‘I’m no monster. I just live with something so powerful’, Emma Duffy for The42.ie
- Eating disorders in men: ‘I kept telling myself this doesn’t happen to lads’, Jen Hogan for The Irish Times
- Delays, distress, deterioration: Health system failing people with eating disorders (Winner), Maria Delaney for Noteworthy.ie & Journal.ie
- Irish Times mental health survey: We are recovering from a ‘mass trauma event’, Joanne Hunt for The Irish Times
Student Journalism Award
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, topics or issues in, about or related to mental health:- The obstacle that limitations of confidentiality pose in student counselling, and overcoming it , Abby Cleaver for Trinity News
- Why are we still unable to talk about antidepressants?, Michael Archer for University Times
- A Person‘s Search For Meaning – Is It Possible To Survive Trauma?, Radio documentary by Adina Sarah Abraham
- I Have OCD. No, I’m Not a Neat Freak, Hosanna Butler for University Times
- Student-run Twitter page highlights mental health struggles at UL (Winner), Adam Leahy for Limerick Voice
Meet The Judges
Rick Rossiter
Writer & Mental Health Advocate
Rick Rossiter has lived experience of Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders. He is a Mental Health Advocate & Consultant working through media platforms, open conversations and webinars. He is a writer and Blogger. He is an Ambassador for See Change & AWARE, and works with REFOCUS Group through The College of Psychiatrists. He has worked with and volunteered for Shine, eHealth Ireland, First Fortnight, ReachOut Ireland and Mental Health Reform, and contributed to multiple resources.
Michael Foley
Journalist, Lecturer and Writer
Michael is a former journalist with The Irish Times where he was education correspondent and media correspondent among other positions. He was a journalism lecturer at DIT (now TU Dublin) where he earned a PhD and is Professor Emeritus. He is the author of many journal articles and book chapters and the author of Death in Every Paragraph: Journalism and the Great Irish Famine (2015). He worked in media development in South East Europe, the Caucuses and Central Asia as well as the Middle East and Africa for the BBC’s development organisations, UNICEF, UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists. He is currently vice chair of the NUJ’s ethics council.
Carmen Bryce
Communications & Fundraising Manager, Mental Health Ireland
Carmen is a former journalist and currently leads the Communications and Fundraising team at Mental Health Ireland. Carmen is a passionate advocate for putting the voice of lived experience at the heart of stigma reduction and mental health promotion. She believes that story sharing is a powerful way to challenge prejudice, support recovery, and change toxic cultures.
Blessing Dada
Mental Health Activist & Writer
Blessing, born and raised in Dublin, is an award-winning Black-Irish mental health writer activist. She is also a content creator/blogger on social media, who is outspoken on various social justice issues, especially on the intersectionality of mental health awareness. Accompanied with her lived experiences, she raises awareness of perspectives for Black & other ethnic minority communities in Ireland. She is also a Youth Support Worker with Crosscare, has been featured in many publications such as the New York Times and Irish Times, and was named as one of the Irish Independent’s ‘50 people to watch’ this year.
Ciarán Austin
Communications Manager, National Office for Suicide Prevention
Ciarán works in the National Office for Suicide Prevention. He previously worked in the NGO sector, in the areas of depression support, suicide postvention and suicide/self-harm prevention. His professional interest in these areas stems from his own personal experience of losing his youngest brother Fionnbarr through suicide in 2006.
June Shannon
Medical Journalist
June is an award-winning medical journalist with 20 years’ experience in specialist health and medical reporting in Ireland. She has a special interest in women's health, mental health, and the health of socially excluded groups such as the homeless. Her work has been published in the national press including the Irish Times and the specialist medical press. She has appeared on national television and radio as a specialist health contributor. In March 2018 she was appointed Digital Health Journalist with the Irish Heart Foundation and prior to that served as the Clinical and Deputy Editor of the Irish Medical Times. June was awarded the 2019 Headline Mental Health Media award, for her Irish Times piece on perinatal mental health and suicide in pregnancy.
Cathal Mac Coille
Broadcaster, Journalist & Writer
Cathal is an award-winning journalist and former broadcaster with RTÉ. He presented the Morning Ireland programme for twenty years. He also writes a weekly column for the Irish language website Tuairisc.ie
Miriam Donohoe
Head of Communications, Trócaire Ireland
Miriam has almost four decades of experience in media and communications. A journalist for 27 years, she has worked across many of the Irish newspaper titles including ten years on the staff of the Irish Times. Miriam moved into communications in 2009, establishing a PR agency MD Media before following her passion for international development by moving to work in the humanitarian aid sector. She is currently Head of Communications with Trócaire. Miriam is a graduate of the TUI journalism course and holds a Diploma in Newspaper Management from Scandinavian International Management Institute (SIMI).
Sarah Stack
Communications & Policy Manager, Samaritans Ireland
Sarah joined Samaritans in 2017 after over 15 years working in journalism & PR. She started her career in regional newspapers in the UK before joining the Press Association’s Dublin bureau covering a variety of national and international news stories. She worked at the Irish Independent prior to the Samaritans, where she leads public awareness and media campaigns.
