We are pleased to announce the winners of our SASS competition showing how our work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
A judging panel of departmental Global Engagement representatives from SASS selected winners in each of the categories from an impressive field of entries.
Thank you so much to everyone who took part. The entries really showed how SASS has remained globally focused despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Winning entries
- UG First prize: Diana Buntajova
- UG Second prize: Liubov Sutugina
- PG First prize: Merle van Berkum
- PG Second prize: Carolyne Lunga
- Staff: First: Prof. Suzanne Franks
- Staff Second prize: Dr Katy Tapper
Honourable mentions:
Undergraduate Student Awards
First Prize: Diana Buntajova, Relentless
Department of Journalism
Relentless is City University’s first sustainable, gender non-conforming fashion project. Our student-led fashion film and documentary, coming this July, addresses these goals:
4. Quality Education - Relentless will host an interactive event to engage and educate our student community. It also gave students the opportunity to learn new skills in their desired fashion field, e.g., styling, PR, filming, or editing.
5. Gender Equality - Relentless spotlights how men and women should be able to wear what they want without being confined to the traditional feminine vs masculine box.
12. Responsible consumption and production - Relentless encourages people to dress sustainably and to revaluate their purchases whilst educating them about sustainability in fashion through our documentary that includes interviews with designers and PETA spokesperson.
13. Climate Action - Relentless teaches consumers how they can change their contribution to the global carbon emissions caused by fashion by buying more sustainably or upcycling pieces they already own.
Second Prize: Liubov Sutugina
Department of Sociology
I believe that my 3rd year project contributes to the UN’s “Responsible consumption and production” goal, as it explores how ethical consumption is perceived by Russians, how customers engage in Fast Fashion consumption, whether their sustainable practices have an impact on the perception of ethical consumption, and whether there is a difference between those living in Russia and those living in the UK.
It was concluded that those living in the UK are more aware of the industry’s environmental impact, are more conscious about ethical consumption, and believe that fashion brands should have wider CSR commitments.
This could be explained by the fact that the UK government emphasizes the importance of sustainable development and the issue of climate change, thus providing more knowledge for its residents.
To enhance attitudes towards responsible consumption, brands should invest in educating and implementing informative campaigns targeted at customers and encouraging them to be more environmentally conscious.
Postgraduate Student Awards:
First Prize: Merle van Berkum
Department of Journalism
Climate change is the defining crisis of our time; however, its complex nature makes it difficult to grasp. For this reason, it is crucial to consider climate change reporting when focusing on climate action as part of the 13th Sustainable Development Goal.
Changes in climatic conditions stretch over long periods of time and the individual perception relies heavily on media coverage. And while there have been several studies that investigate climate change reporting, my PhD project enhances this debate by taking a comparative approach and including questions of historic responsibility, colonial exploitation and international relations.
The project aims to find out how the global challenge of climate change is communicated in African countries that are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in contrast to three of the historically top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and how underlying global power dynamics influence the debate.
Second Prize: Carolyne Lunga, Shining light on power in the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals
Department of Journalism
My research into collaborative investigative journalism is important in showing how this type of journalism is beneficial to society. This is crucial because the role of journalism is central to raising awareness and providing better understanding of the agenda for Sustainable Development.
Investigative journalism has been influential in uncovering and forcing action on large-scale illicit operations in recent years through collaborative investigations such as Panama and Paradise Papers. Collaborative investigative journalism produces high impact stories and helps promote accountability across the world.
This is done when investigative journalists provide thoroughly researched, relevant and timely information on how funds for healthcare, infrastructural and educational development are being spent to promote accountability and transparency.
Without free and independent journalism, citizens would not be informed on crucial development issues. The watchdog role is thus very important in the promotion of SDGs.
Staff awards
First Prize: Professor Suzanne Franks, Women on air
Department of Journalism
City Journalism’s longstanding research monitoring the participation of women experts in news broadcasting has now extended to Ghana, in co-operation with local partners. We have established a project there to identify the gender ratio of women experts used on six major news programmes, The Ghana Project.
This work contributes directly to the fifth sustainable development goal to enhance gender equality. It will increase the visibility and authority of women in the wider society. The 5-month long research enables us to highlight the disparity in the use of male and female experts in the Ghana media, with a view to holding broadcasters there to account (as we have done in the UK).
We are simultaneously developing a database of women experts in Ghana and offering training and support to enable more women to appear on-air as experts across a range of fields.
Second Prize: Dr Katy Tapper, Health Psychology and Behaviour Change
Department of Psychology
How do we promote good health and well-being? Behaviour is increasingly recognised as central to tackling both infectious and ‘lifestyle-related’ diseases. Whether it’s wearing a face mask, getting more exercise or eating a healthier diet, behaviour plays a key role in improving and protecting our health.
So how do we change behaviour? In my new book, Health Psychology and Behaviour Change, I look at important determinants of health, theories of behaviour change, and the development and evaluation of health interventions.
The book includes areas of emerging importance such as weight stigma, vaping and vaccine hesitancy as well as global case studies covering topics such as sugary drinks in Mexico, alcohol misuse in South Africa and community empowerment in India.
The book accompanies a popular final year module on City’s BSc in Psychology but is also written for students and practitioners in fields such as nursing, public health and health policy.
Honourable Mentions
Commended by the judges for their contribution:
Dr David Blunt
Department of International Politics
Watch the video to find out how David's research relates to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Evangeline Modell, X Magazine
Undergraduate student, Department of Journalism
X Magazine is an environmental print and online publication that focuses on combatting climate change through storytelling.