Impact (student magazine)
Encyclopedia
Impact Magazine is the official student magazine of the University of Nottingham
, it has been published in various forms and various names since 1939 Run on a voluntary basis using funds from the Students' Union, the magazine is available free to students. Impact also publishes a website, which has been online since January 8, 2006. Impact is one of the largest student magazines in the UK both in terms of circulation and staff numbers, with a team of around 35 annually elected editors, designers, and promoters.
Contents and editorial : A single contents page is followed by a page containing the Letter of the Month and an editorial, which is written by the magazine's Editor-in-Chief.
News : Usually 4 to 5 pages, this section covers a range of student-related issues, split into three categories: On Campus, Local and National. There is also The Debate at the end of the News section, where a particularly controversial issue is discussed, with two opposing views are given in addition to a summary.
Sport : Typically 2 or 3 pages, this covers a range of national and campus sports.Recently Impact sport secured an interview with Sven Goran-Eriksson
Features : This is the main part of the magazine, usually 16 pages. It contains articles on a variety of student-related topics, usually with a headlining piece of 3 to 4 pages, with other 1 and 2 page articles throughout the rest of the section.
Grapevine : This is a 2 page events summary outlining student activities for the month.
Travel : A 2 page section, typically with 3 or 4 articles about destinations and travel experiences around the world.
Style : Usually 4 pages, Style contains a photo shoot and a small article.
Spare Parts : A 2 page section with recurring features such as Our Man In..., Impact's Guide To... and Vent Your Spleen.
Arts : A 2 or 3 page section covering theatre, literature and the arts.
Film : 2 or 3 pages of articles and reviews of film and DVD releases.
Music : A 4 page section containing reviews and typically an interview with a band.
Science : A 2 page section with a variety of science and technology coverage.
Nights : 2 or 3 pages of nightlife and entertainment articles and reviews.
Gratis : A page of competitions and magazine credits.
Famous Last Words : A single page interview with a celebrity. Recent interviewees have included Jeremy Paxman
, Tessa Jowell
and Gordon Brown
Impact Magazine has also won several awards at the annual Guardian Student Media Awards
. It won Student magazine of the year in 2001 and was runner-up in this category in 2005 and 2007. It was also runner-up in the category for Student Publication Design of the Year for the 2006 awards. Writers for the magazine have also won individual awards, including Amy Franks for Student columnist of the year and Nosheen Asghar for Student diversity writer of the year in 2002, and Paul Robins for Sports writer of the year in 2004.
The Guardian panel in 2001 described Impact as having "great design and great articles that brilliantly reflected its student readership but could have been a real stand-alone magazine".
Past Impact editors have received various industry awards such as Peter Truman, who was voted reporter of the year in the Press Gazette Regional Press Awards 2009 and Nicola Dowling who was voted multimedia journalist of the year in the same awards.
The publication also faced difficulties when war broke out, resulting in a print reduction as the country encountered a serious paper shortage. In 1941 Gongster was suspended throughout the summer months due to a lack of funding, given the restrictions imposed on all societies by the SU as the full effects of rationing took their toll. It was only by 1947 that the paper finally found its feet, selling 100% of copies.
As the paper hit the ‘80s it was decided Gongster was long due a shake-up and soon became Bias. The new name, coupled with an edgier, aesthetically pleasing design, lasted only five years when someone concluded the paper would be better served as Impact. Still a newspaper and still partially funding itself, at ten pence a copy, Impact promised to be more adventurous.
Impact subsequently changed into a magazine, which remains in the same format with an ever increasing number of pages.
Impact released its 200th issue during its 70th birthday year on 30 November 2009.
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, it has been published in various forms and various names since 1939 Run on a voluntary basis using funds from the Students' Union, the magazine is available free to students. Impact also publishes a website, which has been online since January 8, 2006. Impact is one of the largest student magazines in the UK both in terms of circulation and staff numbers, with a team of around 35 annually elected editors, designers, and promoters.
Format and content
The 64 page glossy magazine is split into sections, each with their own editors and writing team.Contents and editorial : A single contents page is followed by a page containing the Letter of the Month and an editorial, which is written by the magazine's Editor-in-Chief.
News : Usually 4 to 5 pages, this section covers a range of student-related issues, split into three categories: On Campus, Local and National. There is also The Debate at the end of the News section, where a particularly controversial issue is discussed, with two opposing views are given in addition to a summary.
Sport : Typically 2 or 3 pages, this covers a range of national and campus sports.Recently Impact sport secured an interview with Sven Goran-Eriksson
Features : This is the main part of the magazine, usually 16 pages. It contains articles on a variety of student-related topics, usually with a headlining piece of 3 to 4 pages, with other 1 and 2 page articles throughout the rest of the section.
Grapevine : This is a 2 page events summary outlining student activities for the month.
Travel : A 2 page section, typically with 3 or 4 articles about destinations and travel experiences around the world.
Style : Usually 4 pages, Style contains a photo shoot and a small article.
Spare Parts : A 2 page section with recurring features such as Our Man In..., Impact's Guide To... and Vent Your Spleen.
Arts : A 2 or 3 page section covering theatre, literature and the arts.
Film : 2 or 3 pages of articles and reviews of film and DVD releases.
Music : A 4 page section containing reviews and typically an interview with a band.
Science : A 2 page section with a variety of science and technology coverage.
Nights : 2 or 3 pages of nightlife and entertainment articles and reviews.
Gratis : A page of competitions and magazine credits.
Famous Last Words : A single page interview with a celebrity. Recent interviewees have included Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
, Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
and Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
Awards
Impact Journalist Nicola Byrom was recently designated Mind's Student Journalist of the Year 2009 for her 'outstanding contribution to mental health awareness'Impact Magazine has also won several awards at the annual Guardian Student Media Awards
Guardian Student Media Awards
The Guardian Student Media Awards are an annual UK-wide student journalism competition run by The Guardian newspaper.-History:Since 1947, The National Union of Students have run a student journalism competition of some kind. In 1978, The Guardian joined forces with the NUS for the inaugural...
. It won Student magazine of the year in 2001 and was runner-up in this category in 2005 and 2007. It was also runner-up in the category for Student Publication Design of the Year for the 2006 awards. Writers for the magazine have also won individual awards, including Amy Franks for Student columnist of the year and Nosheen Asghar for Student diversity writer of the year in 2002, and Paul Robins for Sports writer of the year in 2004.
The Guardian panel in 2001 described Impact as having "great design and great articles that brilliantly reflected its student readership but could have been a real stand-alone magazine".
Past Impact editors have received various industry awards such as Peter Truman, who was voted reporter of the year in the Press Gazette Regional Press Awards 2009 and Nicola Dowling who was voted multimedia journalist of the year in the same awards.
History
The Gong, launched in 1895 was the University of Nottingham's first foray into the world of student journalism. A polished literary pamphlet, it published the students’ own stories, poems and literary reviews. The Granddad of the students’ creative voice continued for decades alongside its news-based rival, The Gongster, which was launched in 1939 and after several image changes eventually became our very own Impact. The paper suffered many teething problems, coming under fire for being ‘too serious and stodgy’.The publication also faced difficulties when war broke out, resulting in a print reduction as the country encountered a serious paper shortage. In 1941 Gongster was suspended throughout the summer months due to a lack of funding, given the restrictions imposed on all societies by the SU as the full effects of rationing took their toll. It was only by 1947 that the paper finally found its feet, selling 100% of copies.
As the paper hit the ‘80s it was decided Gongster was long due a shake-up and soon became Bias. The new name, coupled with an edgier, aesthetically pleasing design, lasted only five years when someone concluded the paper would be better served as Impact. Still a newspaper and still partially funding itself, at ten pence a copy, Impact promised to be more adventurous.
Impact subsequently changed into a magazine, which remains in the same format with an ever increasing number of pages.
Impact released its 200th issue during its 70th birthday year on 30 November 2009.
Alumni
Impact's most notable alumni include:- Jeff Randall, Editor-at-Large of The Daily Telegraph and presenter of 'Jeff Randall Live' on Sky News. Jeff was also BBC Political Editor from 2001-2005.
- Peter Truman, Chief Reporter at the Croydon Guardian
Current editorial team
- Editor in Chief: Eric John
- Editor: Sarah Dawood
- Managing Editor: Rachel Taylor
- Associate Editors: Victoria Urquhart
- PR and Distribution Managers: Deborah Murtha, Nicola Murray
- Advertising Manager: Oliver Elia
- Design Editor: Alix Blankson
- Associate Design Editors: -
- Image Editors: Helen Miller, Emma Charalambous, Sonali Khemka
- Web Editor: -
- Associate Web Editor: Ben McCabe
- Features Editors Settit Beyene, Sam Owen, Oscar Williams
- News Editors: Helen Trimm, Daniel Fine, Fiona Crosby
- Sports Editors: Nicholas Jake Batty, Matthew Williams
- Travel Editors: Ellis Schindler, Claudia Baxter
- Style Editors: Hannah Donald, Emma-Jane Steele
- Arts Editors: Rosie English, Melanie Solomon
- Film Editors: Tom Grater, James McAndrew
- Music Editors: Rebecca Hutter, Jack Gilbert
- Food Editors: William Robertson, Miles Harrison
- Science and Technology Editors: Daniel Anderson, Bonnie Brown
Past Editors
| Editor-in-Chief | Editor | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Ceri Gorton | Unknown | 2002-4 |
| James Wigley | Philip Coletto | 2004-5 |
| Chris Regan | Kate Bullas | 2005-6 |
| Huw Green | Miriam Zendle | 2006 |
| Daniel Brenikov | Miriam Zendle | 2006-7 |
| Daniel Brenikov | Alice Hutton | 2007-8 |
| Alice Hutton | Jessica Elgot | 2008 |
| Robert Barham | Ian Steadman | 2008-9 |
| James Sanderson | Lucy Hayes | 2009-10 |
| Dave Jackson | Gabriella DeMatteis | 2010-11 |