NUI Galway student Stephen Stewart, from Rathcoole, County Dublin, has won the Connect-World Student Digital Story telling Award for his short film Appeal to the People of Africa at Digital Media Awards 2009. The film gives an insight into some the fortitude and dignity that Irish children could learn from their peers in Africa. This is the second year Stephen has won this award. Students of the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway, accounted for two out of three nominations in the student category at the awards. Richard Walsh from Ballybunion, County Kerry, and Julian Ulrichs from Galway City, were also nominated for their short documentary F.G.M. - No Way Home. The film deals with the issue of female genital mutilation and focuses on the story of Pamela Izevbekhai, a Nigerian woman living in Ireland, and her daughters. Last year, the documentary was awarded the Radharc Award for best short documentary. The Digital Media award for students is sponsored by Connect-World, the Irish organisation which promotes coverage of international development issues in the media. Entries were open to all third-level and higher education students, with the brief to tell a story of global development. Commenting on the award, Andrea Breslin of the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway, said: "We are thrilled that one of our students has won this prestigious award, for the second time, for such an original and engaging piece. The subject matter is directly related to the masters in Public Advocacy & Activism which he is currently studying at the Huston Film School. The Digital Media Awards are held in such high regard it's an honour for the school to have been represented this year, and to have the work of the students recognised in this way". Launched in 2003, The Digital Media Awards were engineered to raise awareness of the emerging digital media sector in Ireland and more importantly to act as a showcase for the varied dynamic works being created by companies and third-level institutions across a broad spectrum of categories in digital media. The Huston School of Film & Digital Media runs a number of M.A. courses including Production/Direction, Screenwriting, Film Studies, Arts Policy & Practice, Digital Media, and Public Advocacy & Activism. Further information available from: www.filmschool.ie -ends-