Lincoln Graduates up for Top Television Society Awards

Two recent graduates from the University of Lincoln, Callum Davis and Tommy Lawrence, have been nominated for the prestigious Royal Television Society (RTS) Midlands Student Awards – regarded as the Oscars of the student media world.

The pair, who graduated September 2024, are being celebrated for documentaries produced as part of their coursework.

Callum Davis, a BA Journalism graduate, is nominated in the Factual Long Form category for his documentary Lincoln’s Cycling War. Drawing on his own experiences as a cyclist in and around Lincoln, Callum explores the challenges faced by cyclists in the area and examines potential improvements for those navigating the city on two wheels. His piece features interviews with local cyclists, campaigners, and city authorities, combined with compelling first-person footage of his own cycling journeys.

Reflecting on his nomination, Callum said: “It was incredible to hear that my documentary had been nominated for an RTS award. Filming the documentary was a big challenge at times but a lot of fun and I was really proud of the work and effort that went into it, as well as the end result.

“A huge thank you to my lecturers who pushed me to apply for the nomination and for their guidance along the way.”

Tommy Lawrence, a BA Sports Journalism graduate, is nominated in the Factual Short Form category for his documentary Racing for Horse Welfare. His film investigates the safety of horse racing, the impact of newly introduced welfare rules, and whether they go far enough to protect the animals. Tommy was able to capture firsthand footage of the local Market Rasen racecourse and conducted interviews with influential figures in the industry, including celebrated former jockey, Sir AP McCoy, Ed Chamberlin from ITV Racing, and Orla Coghlan from animal rights organisation, Animal Rising.

Tommy expressed his excitement about the nomination, saying: “I’m absolutely delighted that my documentary has been nominated for a Royal Television Society award. I’m very proud of how it turned out and the people I managed to interview, so it’s a great feeling to be recognised by the RTS.”

The RTS Midlands Student Awards Ceremony will be held on March 19 at The Mockingbird Cinema in Digbeth, Birmingham, where the winners will be announced. Callum and Tommy will attend the event alongside John Cafferkey, Deputy Head of the University’s School of Education and Communication. Should they triumph in their respective categories, their work could be nominated in the national RTS Student Awards.

Celebrating the achievements of his former students, Matt Gull, Programme Leader for Journalism at the University of Lincoln, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to have not one, but two nominations for documentaries produced by our students. Callum and Tommy worked really hard to produce documentaries which not only explored some really important issues, but also engaged the audience with creative ideas and professional broadcast standards.”

This news arrives as current journalism students at the University of Lincoln have been presented with exciting new opportunities for funded work placements at two of the world’s largest news platforms this summer as part of two new partnerships. Two students will experience life at The Independent in London, while another will be seconded to LADbible in Manchester, a platform read by over a billion people every month.