Best in Irish business journalism celebrated at Smurfit Business Journalist Awards

9 December 2025

Eleven of Ireland’s leading business journalists have been recognised at the (opens in a new window)UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards.

For almost two decades, the Awards have celebrated exceptional work by print, broadcasting and digital journalists across a number of hard-fought categories.

"We are proud to honour the outstanding winners of the 18th annual Business Journalist Awards and to celebrate the vital role business journalism plays in informing public discourse,” said (opens in a new window)Professor Federica Pazzaglia, Director of UCD Smurfit School and Associate Dean of UCD College of Business.

“The work of Ireland’s business journalists deepens understanding of the issues shaping our economy and society, bringing clarity, analysis and accountability at moments that matter most.”

Adding: “We also warmly acknowledge the support of our partners, Bank of Ireland, whose commitment continues to strengthen this important recognition of excellence in Irish journalism."

The 2025 categories and winners are:

• Business News Story of the Year – Mark Paul, The Irish Times
  • ‘Derek Quinlan secretly gave his wife €2.5m tax refund’

• Audio Story of the Year – Garrett Mulhall, Fionnán Sheahan, Amy Molly and Kevin Doyle, Irish Independent
  • ‘Behind Closed Doors: The disgraced landlord Christian Carter and the newspaper gagging order’

• Business Feature of the Year – Adrian Weckler, Irish Independent
  • ‘AI Video - Can you tell if this is real or not - and what does this mean for us?’

• Business Analyst of the Year - Conor O'Carroll, The Journal Investigates
  • ‘Ireland's data centres turning to fossil fuels after maxing out country's electricity grid’
  • ‘Where are all the data centres and why should you care?’

• Business Interview of the Year – Fearghal O'Connor, Sunday Independent
  • ‘McCartin strums a new tune at Avalon’

• Women in Business Journalism Award – Kathleen Gallagher, Business Post
  • ‘Femtech funding: ‘We do it with babies in our bellies, on our boobs, and in our boardrooms. And we succeed’
  • ‘Exclusive: Pfizer shutters 12 Irish firms with €600m of assets as part of major restructuring’

• Upcoming Journalist of the Year – Emma Hanrahan, Business Post
  • ‘Meet the viral Gen-Z creator behind brands like Ryanair’s TikTok success’
  • ‘From warzones to €79 subscriptions: Michael O’Leary’s battle to recover Ryanair profit’
  • ‘Clonmel Healthcare: Meet the Irish pharma company eyeing opportunity in Trump’s tariff chaos’

Each winner of each category is awarded a €1,000 prize.

_{Sam Smyth receives an outstanding achievement award from UCD Smurfit School Business Journalism Awards jury chair Nóirín O’Sullivan Credit: Shane O’Neill/Coalesce}

In addition to these seven categories, an Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Sam Smyth of The Currency for his contribution to journalism.

An author, broadcaster and journalist, and Sam is the only two-time winner of the Journalist of the Year Award.

The Belfast native has a long history of breaking business stories with long lasting political and legal implications.

He is also a founding member of the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, one of the most prestigious and decorated groups of its kind since its foundation in 1998.

_{The Business Post’s Emma Hanrahan, UCD alumna and former editor of the College Tribune, presented with the Upcoming Journalist of the Year award Credit: Shane O’Neill/Coalesce}

Sponsored by the Bank of Ireland, and run in conjunction with the Business Journalists Association of Ireland, the UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards are adjudicated by an independent panel of judges composed of business, media and academic leaders.

“In today’s environment, the role of high-quality journalism is increasingly indispensable, with accuracy, fact-checking and critical analysis forming the foundation of trusted reporting,” said Damien Garvey, Director, Group Corporate Affairs, Bank of Ireland.

“Independent and objective media remains a cornerstone of a well-functioning economy and society, and these awards highlight the exceptional standards achieved by Irish business journalists. On behalf of Bank of Ireland, I would like to commend and congratulate all of this year’s winners and nominees.”

By:  David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Beth Gormley, UCD College of Business)

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie