Students from sixth grade to the final year of high school are welcome to submit entries for the competition.
“Young people rarely have a platform to express opinions or highlight topics that matter to them. The Young Journalist Award is a platform to at least give young people a chance to be seen and heard – and to draw attention to topics they feel the media never addresses,” says Aftonbladet’s Lina Dawood, who is on the jury.
The Young Journalist Award has been presented since 2019, jointly by Aftonbladet, Mobile Stories, and Mediekompass. The award allows students from sixth grade up to the third year of high school to compete with entries in news articles, opinion pieces, podcasts, or videos.
Last year, Guuled Mohamed won with his article on the frisking of young people in Järva, outside Stockholm.
“I didn’t want to compete at first; I just wanted to write an article about the frisks because I thought it was so important. Before, I didn’t want to be a journalist, but now I see how important and fun this work is. Today, I want to become a journalist,” says Guuled Mohamed.
He is now on the jury for this year’s competition, along with representatives from Aftonbladet, Mobile Stories, and Mediekompass. The jury places great importance on headlines, image selection, length, and how well-written the texts are – or how well-produced the submitted podcasts and videos are. But above all, the jury wants to find new, unique topics.
“Young people are often good at finding subjects that haven’t received attention in the media before. My advice to anyone who wants to make their voice heard is to choose something unique, something you’re interested in or good at. It can take you far,” says Lina Dawood.
The competition is open to all students from sixth grade to the third year of high school. The prize is 10,000 kronor, and if you compete as a class, the winnings go to the class fund. The deadline for submissions is November 13.
Submit your entry here
FACTS/Young Journalist Award
- The Young Journalist Award was established in 2019. The award is supported by Aftonbladet, together with Mobile Stories and Mediekompass.
- Mobile Stories supports young people in participating in the democratic conversation through an educational publishing tool that can be used in teaching, in library activities, by youth councils – or to start digital school newspapers.
- Mediekompass, backed by the Swedish Media Publishers’ Association (TU), works to assist education concerning media and journalism.
- Mobile Stories, in collaboration with Mediekompass, has developed a syllabus for teachers who want to produce and publish material with their students in connection with the competition. You can also access Mediekompass’s publishing guide for schools.
