The Warwick Boar

Infobox Newspaper
name = The Warwick Boar


type = Weekly newspaper
format = Compact (Tabloid)
foundation = 1973
owners = Warwick Students' Union
headquarters = Warwick Students' Union
editor = Nima Seifi and Alpha Parish (Co-Editorship)

"The Warwick Boar" is the student newspaper of the University of Warwick.

It has been published weekly in term time by the University of Warwick Students' Union since 1973. Whilst a society of the Union, the paper is editorially independent.

The paper is weekly and consists of little news and much opinion, analysis, features, lifestyle, music, arts, film, TV, technology, science, columnists, sport, travel and lifestyle. For a time, the entertainment articles appeared in a bi-weekly supplement called "The Core".

Contribution to the Boar is entirely voluntary and none of the approximately 40 editorial staff are paid. Furthermore, the paper does not receive any budget from the Students' Union and therefore relies entirely on self-generated advertising revenue to keep afloat. Unusually for a weekly student paper, the Editor is not a Sabbatical Officer.

In the 2003 Guardian Student Media Awards, the judges (including Alan Rusbridger, Editor of The Guardian and Jon Snow, Presenter of Channel 4 News) commented: "A consistently high standard, like a fine regional newspaper with an outstanding magazine. The dedication of the staff to produce this newspaper on a weekly basis is incredible."

In the National Student Journalism Awards and Guardian Student Media Awards 2006, the Boar received no less than 17 nominations - an all-time record in the history of the student media. It ended up winning 7 awards – beating in one year the total achieved in the previous 33 years of the paper's history.

Student Media Awards

The newspaper has recently been successful in various Student Media Awards.

*2007
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Nominated Critic of the Year (Leo Robson)

*2006
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Winner Website of the Year
***Winner Travel Writer of the Year (Tanc Newbury)
***Winner Sports Writer of the Year (David O'Kelly)
***Nominated Sports Writer of the Year (Tom Morris)
***Nominated Feature Writer of the Year (Alastair Plumb)
***Nominated Critic of the Year (Leo Robson)
***Nominated Diversity Writer of the Year (David O'Kelly)
***Nominated Columnist of the Year (Fred Forse)
**Press Association / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
***Nominated Best Newspaper
***Nominated Best Website
***Winner Best Student Reporter (Matt Sandy)
***Winner Best Student Feature Writer (Alastair Plumb)
***Winner Best Student Sports Journalist (David O'Kelly)
***Winner Best Student Photographer (Ching Sum Yuen)
***Runner Up Best Student Travel Journalist (Laura Powell)
***Nominated Best Student Critic (Alexandra Preston)
***Nominated Best Student Travel Journalist (Tanc Newbury)

*2005
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Runner-up Student Media Website of the Year
**Daily Mirror / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
***Runner-up Best Student Reporter (Matt Sandy)
***Runner-up Best Student Media Website
***Nominated Best Investigative Journalism (Matt Sandy)

*2004
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Nominated Travel Writer of the Year (Tom Thurnell-Read)
**Daily Mirror / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
***Winner Best Student Reporter (Jake Morris)
***Winner Student Media Website

*2003
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Runner-up Student Newspaper of the Year
***Nominated Sports Writer of the Year (Mark Douglas)
**Daily Mirror / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
***Nominated Best Student Campaign (Liberty Park)
***Nominated Best Student Travel Journalist (Rhian Nicholson)

*2002
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Nominated Sports Writer of the Year (Nicholas Morrison)
**The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
*** Winner Best Student Photographer (Oliver Scarff)

*2001
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Nominated Student Publication Design of the Year
***Nominated Sports Writer of the Year (Mark Douglas)
***Nominated Student Campaign of the Year (Compulsory laptops)

*2000
**The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
***Runner-up Best Student Feature Writer (Andrew Losowsky)
***Nominated Best Student Feature Writer (Tim Clist)
***Nominated Best Student Arts Journalist (Andrew Losowsky)

*1999
**Guardian Student Media Awards
***Nominated Student Website of the Year
**The Independent / NUS National Student Journalism Awards
*** Winner Best Student Arts Journalist (Jonathan Stubbs)

*1998
**Guardian / NUS Student Media Awards
***Nominated Student Newspaper of the Year

*1994
**Guardian / NUS Student Media Awards
***Nominated Student Newspaper of the Year

*1990
**Guardian / NUS Student Media Awards
***Winner Impact Award (for the most improved publication)

Editors

Recent Editors of the paper include:

* Feb 2008 - present: Nima D. Seifi & Alpha Parish
* Jun 2007 - Feb 2008: Leo Robson
* Dec 2006 - Jun 2007: Thom Poole
* Jun 2006 - Dec 2006: Matt Chapman
* Oct 2005 - Jun 2006: Matt Sandy
* Feb 2005 - Oct 2005: Duncan Sinclair
* Nov 2004 - Feb 2005: Kate Dunn
* Feb 2004 - Nov 2004: Marli Roode
* Oct 2003 - Feb 2004: Will Johnson
* Feb 2003 - Jun 2003: Dominic Tobin
* Oct 2002 - Feb 2003: Theo Usherwood
* Feb 2002 - Jun 2002: James Mansfield
* Oct 2001 - Feb 2002: Mark Douglas

Current Editorial Team 2008

* Editors: Alpha Parish & Nima D. Seifi
* Deputy Editors: Julian Williams & Brenda Goh
* Executive Editor: Jonathan Parker
* Production Editor: Becky Kent
* Commmunications Director: Francesca Morgante
* News: Sam Shirley
* Comment: Chris Browne, Thomas Wales, Tom Mellors, Jack Morgan and Shankar Jayaram
* Travel Editor: Andrew Bradley
* Sport: Mark Lomas
* Features: Sam Hancock
* Photography Editor: Lewis Bush
* Music: Sam Kinchin-Smith
* Arts: Coco Kahn
* Film: Pete Spencer
* Lifestyle: Suvi Rantanen, Ginnia Cheng
* Television: Robin Stevens
* Business Manager: David Barnes

Origin of name

Founding Editor Godfrey Rust provides this explanation [http://www.sunion.warwick.ac.uk/boar/?article=3743 here] : "We wanted something that would convey a sense of instant history to cover up the (then) appalling newness of the place (and encourage more Americans to invest). Sitting in the Pennyfarthing Bar, [Co-founder] Kasper de Graaf and I pooled our vast knowledge of local heraldry. Coventry, we thought, had an elephant as its symbol, and Warwick had a bear. Or perhaps it was the other way around.

Anyway, neither of these had the required cachet. After experiments with other possible fauna we stumbled on the idea of a boar. Exactly whose the idea was I no longer remember, but I am certain that draught bitter was only 13p a pint. The pun was dreadful, but it was my round and there seemed to be no-one to stop us."

External links

* [http://www.sunion.warwick.ac.uk University of Warwick Students' Union]
* [http://www.warwick.ac.uk University of Warwick]