Two Bond University students have finished second and third in their category of the first international mobile journalism competition in Galway, Ireland this morning (Friday, 1 June).
Katia Pearsall (2nd) and Emma Griffith (3rd) were competing in the Mojo Student of the Year section at MojoFest 2018.
Entrants in MojoFest included Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh who won Best Feature Film for Unsane, shot on an iPhone.
Ms Pearsall produced a segment on an art show while Ms Griffith shot a piece on her boyfriend, a graphic artist who travels the world.
Ms Griffith moved to the Gold Coast from Seattle, Washington, to study journalism at Bond University and is following in the footsteps of her parents who are both TV producers.
“It was surreal to be nominated, I wasn’t expecting it,” Ms Griffith said.
“I never thought my iPhone could be as good a tool for video production until this project.
“With photography, I used to obsess over needing a really nice camera, but the iPhone is easy to take with you, nearly everyone has one. It is very simple to use.
“Once you start playing with it you can create some beautiful footage.”
Bond University senior teaching fellow Rob Layton said the students were pioneers in the new field of mobile journalism.
“Katia and Emma are naturally-gifted storytellers simply using new tools,” Mr Layton said.
“That their works shared a stage with such incredibly talented people like Steve Soderbergh, and mobile journalists from the BBC and around the world, is testament to that.
“Bond is helping pioneer this emerging industry, further establishing its reputation for innovation by embracing these new technologies and embedding mobile journalism into the core of the journalism curriculum.
“There truly has never been a better time to be a journalist.”