University of Stirling sweeps the board at European PR Awards

University of Stirling Public Relations students have swept the board at the EUPRERA Master Thesis Awards – a major European event recognising excellent academic contribution to public relations. 

Caitlin Carbury and Temitope Oyelade were named overall winners in the Theoretical Impact Award and Practical Impact Award categories respectively, at the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Congress in Prague.

Caitlin Carbury and Temitope Oyelade travelled to Prague to receive their accolades at the EUPRERA Annual Congress

The achievement marks a phenomenal run of success for the University at the event, which has now secured five winners in the last five years.

Award winning dissertations

Temitope, who graduated from MSc Strategic Communication and Public Relations (Joint Degree with Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and is currently working as a Digital PR Executive, was recognised for her thesis which looked at how non-government organisations (NGOs) use social media to engage with their audiences.

She said: “I am extremely pleased to be recognised and to travel to Prague to receive the award. Attending Congress gave me the opportunity to meet leading PR professionals from across Europe and gain valuable career advice.”

Caitlin’s dissertation explored the relationship between PR and feminist menstrual activism.

She said: “During my undergraduate degree I developed a great interest in how women and minoritised people, and their bodies, were portrayed in media – what messages were being produced or reproduced about them and how these messages were perpetuating and/or challenging socio-cultural issues. My masters thesis is an extension of this interest within a PR context.

“I didn’t expect to win – I was in disbelief. Attending Congress was a fascinating experience and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many of my peers and others working in PR across Europe.”

The awards received 18 applications from seven countries, with the jury selecting six finalists. Stirling graduate Scott McLean was also shortlisted as a finalist. 

Other finalists included students from London School of Economics and Political Sciences, University of Leipzig, Germany and Leeds Beckett University.