UK: Youngsters should use holidays to 'motivate their minds', say leading Children's rights's authors
Two leading Children's rights’s authors today called on Britain’s young people to put their holiday time to good use and enter Amnesty International’s Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year competition.
The competition aims to find the young reporters and photographers of tomorrow.
Sara Grant, author of Dark Parties, and Bali Rai, who wrote (un)arranged marriage, have both been confirmed as judges for the competition.
The competition is easy to enter and open to young people aged seven to 18. Full details of how to enter and the various categories can be found online at www.amnesty.org.uk/youngreporter.
Sara Grant, who lives in East London, said:
"I am thrilled to help Amnesty encourage young writers to use their talents to improve human rights. I hope this competition inspires the next generation of journalists who have both literary skill and heart.
"Amnesty understands the power of motivating young minds. This competition demonstrates the power of the written word to inspire and ignite change. It's an honour to encourage the next generations of human rights reporters."
The Leicester-born Bali Rai added:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to judge Amnesty’s Young Human Rights Reporter competition. It’s vital that we encourage young people to document and write about human rights, and their abuses, across the globe.
“Amnesty has always been a beacon for those whose rights have been violated, and to have a new generation of reporters willing to highlight such important issues is tremendous. I feel honoured to be taking part as a judge."
The competition is run in conjunction with The Guardian Teacher Network and MA Education, the publishers of SecEd, and aims to find the human rights journalists and photographers of tomorrow.
The photojournalism competition is open to students aged 7 to 18 from across the UK and is split into two categories: Upper Primary and Lower Secondary, and Upper Secondary and Sixth Form. The winner of the older category will spend a day with a photographer from the Guardian.
The journalism competition is split into four categories: Upper Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and Sixth Form. Articles can be up to 500 words in length and entries will be accepted in both English and Welsh.
The competition closes on 18 February, with the top three entrants in each category invited to Amnesty’s headquarters for a prestigious awards ceremony on 30 April 2013.
The winners of each age group in both the Journalism and Photojournalism categories will each receive: a goodie bag, an Amnesty International Media Award (to be presented at a ceremony at Amnesty International UK’s headquarters on 30 April 2013), and a year’s subscription to The Day (www.theday.co.uk).