RGS journalists celebrate national success

RGS journalists celebrate national success

THE team behind RGS’s student-led academic magazineThe Clocktower is celebrating national success after winning top honours at one of the UK's leading school journalism competitions in London.

Editor-in-chief Annabel Cochrane, alongside editorial team members Manya Rajeeva and Nancy Manners, attended the prestigious Shine School Media Awards ceremony and networking event at Stationers’ Hall, where their publication received the Rising Star Award– recognising the outstanding achievement of a magazine in its very first year.

Annabel also claimed the competition’s highest individual honour, the Terry Mansfield CBE Award for Tomorrow’s Talent, which includes a week-long internship with Hearst UK, one of the country’s leading magazine publishers, providing a significant opportunity to develop her journalism career.

The awards mark a remarkable achievement forThe Clocktower, which was only launched this academic year following two years of planning, recruitment and development.

Reflecting on the day, Annabel said: “We had a great sweep at Shine. Winning the Rising Star Award for the whole magazine is pretty impressive for a publication in its first year, and I was really lucky to win the Terry Mansfield CBE Award for Tomorrow’s Talent.

“The award includes a week-long internship at Hearst UK, which could be a real career boost. It was a brilliant day.”

Alongside celebrating the awards, the team also took part in industry workshops and networking sessions with media professionals, gaining valuable insight into emerging trends in journalism.

“We got so much information about podcasting and have some great ideas about how to add that to the project, as well as some new marketing ideas to make the magazine even more ambitious,” Annabel said.

The success represents another milestone for the publication, which was established to showcase independent research, creativity and intellectual curiosity across the RGS community. The magazine features student writing, artwork, photography and puzzles across four themed sections – The Artist, The Thinker, The Scientist and The Inventor.

Annabel, who has received an offer to study English at the University of Oxford, said she was particularly proud to see RGS recognised on the national stage.

“It’s been great to put RGS on the map in this way,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who has made this possible.”

The award-winning first edition ofThe Clocktower is available to borrow from the school library, while plans are already underway for next year’s edition, with the editorial team looking to build on their national success by expanding the publication and exploring new formats, including podcasting.

RGS journalists celebrate national success
RGS journalists celebrate national success