Salford crowned big winner at 2026 RTS North West Student Awards

The awards, which showcase the best student projects from across the North West in film, broadcast journalism, documentary and animation are highly regarded within the creative industries.

The University won three of the four available student craft awards on the night and three of the five main awards, receiving recognition for students on our BA Television and Radio Production, BA Film Production and BA Animation courses.

It was also a special evening for the student film Dogbone, which won three gongs, including the coveted Best Drama award. The film is set in the early 21st century and tells the story of a young footballer who struggles to speak out about his experiences with his formidable coach.

The film was screened at the Bolton International Film Festival last year, The British Shorts Film Festival in Berlin this January and will be screened at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) in Seattle later this month.

The full list of winners are:

Best Drama 
Dogbone – Austen Taylor Pease, Robert Peddie, Theo Hughes, Josie Harris and team.

Best Factual – Long Form
Bound by Blood – Ed Reilly and Ben Ogden

Best Factual – Short Form
Down The Line ­– James Kersey

Student Craft Award for Best Writing
Austen Taylor Pease for Dogbone

Student Craft Award for Best Camera Work
Theo Hughes for Dogbone

Student Craft Award for Best Production Design
Tabatha Gell for Lou

Tom Kirby, Programme Lead for BA Film Production, said: “The success of Dogbone at the RTS North West Student Awards is a brilliant achievement for everyone involved. Winning Best Writing, Best Cinematography and Best Drama in one night showcases not only the boldness and ambition of our students, but also the remarkable filmmaking talent we’re nurturing here at Salford.

“Developing outstanding storytellers is at the heart of what we do, and these awards highlight just how powerfully our students are shaping the future of the industry. We couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve accomplished.”

Bound by Blood and Down The Line were helmed by BA Television and Radio Production students, with Sam Follin’s Living with Grief and BA Journalism (Broadcast) graduate Daniel Caddick’s Access Ashton just missing out in the Best Factual – Short Form category this year.

Bound by Blood tells the story of a bare-knuckle fighter pushing towards a world title belt whilst exploring how the community around the sport has become a powerful vent – and in many ways a sanctuary for mental health. Down The Line is a ‘road-movie’ documentary about two passionate heritage railway enthusiasts who chase down the steam locomotives they dream of seeing in action.

Louise Ready-Syrat, Programme Lead for BA Television and Radio Production, said: “We are hugely proud of our students and their award wins which demonstrate their dedicated learning and storytelling abilities in factual form.  Of course, it is not all about the wins and Samuel Follin’s Living with Grief was a fantastic and heartfelt story and deserves the recognition it received.

“To be nominated at all makes us hugely proud of their hard work. The judges said that the talent and content this year was one of the highest standards they’ve seen. We very much look forward to seeing much more of these graduates and their work in future.”

BA Animation graduate Tabatha Gell secured the Student Craft Award for Production Design but her animated short Lou was also shortlisted against tough competition in the Best Animation category. On Sonder Hill, another project from our BA Film Production students was also in the running for Best Drama.

Diwas Bisht, Programme Leader for BA Animation said: "Tabatha's win is a testament to her long-standing dedication to the craft of stop motion and her exceptional talent for character creation, fabrication and costume design, that she has honed here in Salford over the years.

"Coming from a family of artists and animators, Tabatha brings a natural creative instinct to her work, and her film, a striking blend of stop motion and live action, was praised for its memorable characters, as well as lighting and composition by the judges."

Last night’s award results make it a seventh successive year of award wins for the University at the ceremony, with the six awards adding to the seven awarded in 2025 and the eight won in 2024.