STAHS has a number of amazing journalists in the alumni community and at the start of December one of these, Sophia Smith Galer, was recognised at the British Journalism Awards, which is open to all journalists and with a strong focus on celebrating work which serves the public interest. 

There were over 800 entries submitted for this year’s awards, from all of the major news organisations in the UK. 

Sophia, who is now a Senior News Reporter at VICE World News and previously was at the BBC, won the ‘Innovation of the Year’ category. In the category judges were looking for a project which bring new information to light on a matter of public interest, whether in print, broadcast or through digital storytelling. 

Sophia said: ‘It was such a privilege to win this award, especially in this category alongside so many journalists that I admire.  
‘When I first downloaded TikTok, I was a video journalist just experimenting with a new app. Two years later and it’s become an invaluable part of my journalism toolkit, and I hope this win will persuade many more reporters to see its value. 

‘I was always encouraged to think creatively at St Albans and I look forward to seeing some of the current students innovating in a newsroom one day!’

Sophia’s winning entry looked at TikTok usage, which beat other nominations in the category from publications including the Financial Times and The Economist. 

To hear more about Sophia's work, don't forget to sign up for her Twilight Talk on Monday 21 February at 18.30.