Ulster University has recognised the outstanding achievements of award-winning journalist, author and Ulster University alumnus Sam McBride, who has been named the Distinguished Graduate of the Year 2025, supported by Allstate. The award, presented at the Coleraine campus, was designed and crafted by Carl Gingles, a recent first-class honours graduate and current Artist in Residence at the Belfast School of Art.

Each year, the Distinguished Graduate Award celebrates an exceptional member of the University’s alumni community who has made an extraordinary contribution within their field, exemplifying what is possible through dedication, integrity and ambition. This year’s recipient, Sam McBride, is one of the most highly decorated local journalists in the UK, known for his groundbreaking investigative reporting and unwavering commitment to the public interest.

A two-time graduate of Ulster University, Sam began his investigative career while studying at Coleraine. After completing his undergraduate degree in English Literature, he returned to undertake a postgraduate degree in Newspaper Journalism in 2006. It was during this time that he first began to hone the investigative skills that have become the hallmark of his career – writing in-depth pieces for the University magazine and reporting on Coleraine Borough Council for the Belfast Telegraph. Sam credits the grounding, work ethic and mentorship he received while studying at Ulster University as fundamental to his development as a journalist.

Now Northern Ireland Editor of the Belfast Telegraph and the Sunday Independent, and Northern Ireland Correspondent for The Economist, Sam’s work has reached audiences locally, nationally and internationally. His career has included senior roles as Political Editor of the Belfast News Letter, regular broadcasting and documentary work – including a BBC film on the Northern Bank robbery – and widely acclaimed long-form journalism.

His books Burned and For and Against a United Ireland (co-written with Fintan O’Toole) have earned critical acclaim, while his journalism has received major industry honours, including multiple UK Regional Press Awards, a British Journalism Award, and international recognition for his Killing Edgar podcast. He was named Local Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards in 2024 for his major exposés on the environmental crisis in Lough Neagh and his campaigning for press freedom and transparency. He also played a key role as lead deponent in a successful High Court challenge to overturn a Stormont law that restricted journalists from naming suspected sex offenders – an important milestone for open justice.

Ulster University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Bartholomew said:

“Sam McBride’s work has played a vital role in strengthening public accountability and informing civic debate in Northern Ireland. His commitment to rigorous, independent journalism exemplifies the impact our graduates can have on society.”

Dr Sarah Lawrence, Lead Digital Product Manager at Allstate, said:

“Allstate is pleased to support this award, which recognises graduates who are making an exceptional contribution to their profession and to wider society.”

Receiving the award, Sam said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this Distinguished Graduate Award from Ulster University – an institution that shaped the very beginning of my career and instilled in me the academic curiosity, creativity and belief in fairness that are central to my work to this day.

“Despite being under intense pressure, journalism remains critical to the maintenance of a meaningful liberal democracy. Only by free and honest enquiry can any society advance in a way where ordinary people can hold their rulers to account.

  “I am deeply grateful to the lecturers who encouraged and inspired me – especially Kathleen McCracken, Joe McMinn and Colm Murphy. I have also been privileged to have had editors who have given me exceptional freedom, and readers who take the time to read what I write. To be recognised by my alma mater in this way is profoundly humbling.”