22 February 2022
AMERICAN actor and comedian Tina Fey will be a judge in the inaugural Global Young Journalist Awards, which were launched today by Richard Addis, founder and editor of the digital newspaper, The Day.
Tina Fey is best known for her work on American satirical comedy show Saturday Night Live and she said she was delighted to join the panel which will assess contributions from the next generation of journalists.
“There has never been a more important time to get young people involved in truth-seeking. It is vital for our future that the journalists investigate without fear or favour and this competition is an excellent way of inspiring children to get involved” she said.
New competition is looking for the reporters of the future
The judging panel also includes TV broadcaster Ayo Akinwolere, the BBC’s gender and identity correspondent Megha Mohan, the FT’s top data journalism developer Ændra Rininsland and The Guardian columnist Afua Hirsch.
The competition is open to students aged 18 and under and will give ten awards, as listed below. Each category is open to work in any medium.
1. Campaigning journalist of the year
2. Interviewer of the year
3. International journalist of the year
4. Political journalist of the year
5. Mental health journalist of the year
6. Environment journalist of the year
7. Science & technology journalist of the year
8. Race & gender journalist of the year
9. Sports journalist of the year
10. Climate journalist of the year (primary only)
The aim of the awards is to showcase a variety of voices and encourage young people to report on what matters to them.
Richard Addis said: “Responsible journalism, telling the truth about the world we share, has become one of the heroic endeavours of our age. These awards aim to light a spark in thousands of young people and inspire a new generation of great reporters, photographers and editors.”
Award winners will have their words, video, photo, graphic or podcast published on The Day’s website and be given the chance to connect with role models from the world of media and current affairs.
Winners will be invited to join The Day’s Student Advisory Board for a year, while winners and runners-up will be offered a day’s work experience in a national newsroom and receive trophies.
The Day is a digital newspaper for use in schools and colleges. It has a daily average circulation of 378,000 students, the largest readership among those aged 18 and under of any news title. Over 1,300 schools are subscribers.
Teachers can download the Awards entry pack at www.theday.co.uk/gyja2022. Winners will be announced at a live virtual ceremony in June.
Competition sponsors include The Fairtrade Foundation, The Edge Foundation, Oddizzi, Brainwaves, the National Literacy Trust and Hello World.
For more information you can email gyja@theday.co.uk