Boar reporters celebrate national success after winning four SPA Awards

Countless hours of InDesign and tireless work by writers have paid off as The Boar celebrates being Highly Commended for Best Publication at the 2025 Student Publication Association (SPA) National Awards.

 The Boar also took home the win for Best Newspaper Design, while outgoing Editor-in-Chief Luke Chapman was recognised with two Highly Commended gongs for the Billy-Dowling Reid Award for Outstanding Commitment and Best Reporter.

The SPA National Awards, which are held annually as part of the association’s conference weekend, celebrate the achievements of student journalists and publications in the UK and Ireland.

Over 1,300 entries were put forward for the SPA Awards this year, making it the UK’s biggest and most competitive journalism awards ceremony.

Against all odds, [The Boar] has smashed it out of the park with cracking stories and impressive innovation

Liz Jaques and Rupert Smith, Newsworks

Liz Jaques and Rupert Smith from leading journalism network Newsworks praised The Boar’s efforts this year.

Judging the Best Publication award, they said: “Against all odds, [The Boar] has smashed it out of the park with cracking stories and impressive innovation.”

The new magazine and writing guides were also commended by Jaques and Smith, with the “fresh” design, launched in September, boosting The Boar’s success.

Speaking directly after The Boar’s win, outgoing Editors-in-Chief Luke Chapman and Archie Clarke thanked the whole team, adding: “We’re the Editors-in-Chief, but we virtually just oversee the great work of what [the team] does, so this award is on you.”

Alongside The Boar’s four awards, the team was also shortlisted for ten other awards, including two nominations for Best News Story for Hasan Islam’s reporting on Warwick MUN’s ‘praise’ of terror group Tamil Tigers, and Anna Bickerton and Abigail Mableson’s investigation into Leamington bus delays.

The celebration of journalism didn’t stop at the awards however, with our journalists being treated to a weekend of talks and workshops from leading industry professionals.

Members of The Boar team with former Editor-in-Chief and News Editor Katie Tarrant (fourth from R). Image: Tom Ryan / The Boar

Digital journalist and author Sophia Smith Galer, host of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour Nuala McGovern, and journalist-turned-MP Ben Bradshaw were among the speakers at the conference, which was held in Exeter.

The latest copy of The Boar also found its way into the hands of former Boar Editor-in-Chief Katie Tarrant.

Now a News Reporter at The Sunday Times, Tarrant imparted The Boar’s team with her wisdom on investigative journalism, speaking about her experiences in the Warwick newsroom to her recent reporting on the Gisèle Pelicot rape case in France.