After a hugely successful launch last year, our young journalist competition for 8-11 year olds returns. The breadth and depth of the entries were incredibly exciting, and we want more! Your articles last year covered everything from the importance of playing outside and lollipop ladies, to sexism and the peace protests in Spain – they were really inspiring to read.
This year our focus is on interviewing – an essential skill for a journalist trying to find out the truth of a story. Remember a story involves many different points of view and perspectives – it’s never simple.
We are now also offering you the option of doing either a podcast or a written piece.
It will be judged by the Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation, the CEO of SAPERE, and a Channel 4 news producer.
Once again, this year has another awesome prize of a laptop to continue your writing. The entry deadline is 23rd October 2018, with the winners announced on 16th November 2018.
The challenge
8-9 year olds:
10-11 year olds:
We will be assessing the entries using the following criteria:
1. Topic: Matters to you; is important to lots of people (or should be!); is something you believe more people need to know about
2. Your own voice (not your parents or teachers): Uses your own words; don’t make it sound like a homework assignment; make it original, moving and persuasive – good journalism can change people’s minds and gets them to take action
3. Reasoning: Is thoughtful; encourages debate; is not one-sided
4. Interview: Good quality questioning; plan your questions in advance and make sure they are relevant and challenging; you don’t need to include the full interview, just pick the most useful bits and make sure you use at least one quote; try and surprise us with who you choose
5. Research: Breadth; showing your sources; remember that while a strong argument is important, so are facts show us yours are from a credible source - If you are claiming something as fact or quoting someone else, show us how you found it out. Writing about a government report? Link to it. Quoting the prime minister? Link to the source. Referring to old news stories? Find the link
The winner will be announced on the UN International Day for Tolerance, 16th November 2018. Entries are due by October 16th 2018, to info@learn2think.org.uk.
This year our focus is on interviewing – an essential skill for a journalist trying to find out the truth of a story. Remember a story involves many different points of view and perspectives – it’s never simple.
We are now also offering you the option of doing either a podcast or a written piece.
It will be judged by the Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation, the CEO of SAPERE, and a Channel 4 news producer.
Once again, this year has another awesome prize of a laptop to continue your writing. The entry deadline is 23rd October 2018, with the winners announced on 16th November 2018.
The challenge
- There are 2 categories - children aged 8-9, and children 10-11
8-9 year olds:
- We would like to see either;
- a written article of up to 300 words (but you can say what you want to in less, that’s also fine!)
- a 3-4 minute podcast (check out apps such as Anchor)
- it must include quotes from at least one interview (include who the person is and why you chose to interview them)
10-11 year olds:
- We would like to see either;
- a written article of up to 500 words (but you can say what you want to in less, that’s also fine!)
- a 4-5 minute podcast (check out apps such as Anchor)
- it must include quotes from at least 2 interviews (include who the people are and why you chose to interview them)
We will be assessing the entries using the following criteria:
1. Topic: Matters to you; is important to lots of people (or should be!); is something you believe more people need to know about
2. Your own voice (not your parents or teachers): Uses your own words; don’t make it sound like a homework assignment; make it original, moving and persuasive – good journalism can change people’s minds and gets them to take action
3. Reasoning: Is thoughtful; encourages debate; is not one-sided
4. Interview: Good quality questioning; plan your questions in advance and make sure they are relevant and challenging; you don’t need to include the full interview, just pick the most useful bits and make sure you use at least one quote; try and surprise us with who you choose
5. Research: Breadth; showing your sources; remember that while a strong argument is important, so are facts show us yours are from a credible source - If you are claiming something as fact or quoting someone else, show us how you found it out. Writing about a government report? Link to it. Quoting the prime minister? Link to the source. Referring to old news stories? Find the link
The winner will be announced on the UN International Day for Tolerance, 16th November 2018. Entries are due by October 16th 2018, to info@learn2think.org.uk.
Who We Are |
The Week Junior is a brilliant current affairs magazine for children aged between 8 and 14. It’s filled with fascinating stories and information, written to engage curious young minds and encourage them to explore and understand the world around them.
By exploring real world matters, The Week Junior equips young people with the skills to think critically, learn about the world around them and ask questions. It gives context to what they learn in the classroom – and encourages them to look further. Learn more here |