The Orbital wins Best Student Magazine 2006 :
01/12/2006
It′s official! The Orbital is the best student magazine in the UK.
The Orbital, which is published by the Students′ Union at Royal Holloway, University of London, was crowned Best Student Magazine at the National Student Journalism Awards 2006 ceremony on Friday 24 November.
Last year′s editor and deputy editor, as well as some board members, were in attendance to collect the award and celebrate the achievement. Judges from the media industry commented on the magazine′s high standard, describing it as "gritty, witty, relevant and coherent, packaged with good design and strong front covers". The magazine was also congratulated on the standard of its editing, and its ability to successfully encompass all aspects of culture and student life.
The 2005-2006 Editor, Patrick Camara Ropeta (pictured with 2005-2006 Deputy Editor Carie-Ann Barkhuizen), was thrilled by the success: "The Orbital came out of nowhere to win the top prize for student magazines. We are relatively small and unknown compared to most nominees, and larger universities often dominate the awards circuit. Some of the bigger universities could have up to £50,000 print media budget, which is incomparable to the £10,000 average budget of The Orbital. We also have less human resources and lack some facilities; overall, we are at a relative disadvantage. It’s such an honour to be chosen over such magazines; it’s a testament to the level of quality that The Orbital can achieve against all the odds."
The National Student Journalism Awards 2006 was organised by the National Union of Students in association with Press Association Training, and sponsored by The Mirror, Closer, East Coast Media, Smaart Publishing, Real Gap Experience, the Higher Education Career Services Unit, and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership.