For Immediate Release
12 winners revealed in London Voices Journalism Competition Awards
Twelve aspiring new journalists have scooped awards and certificates in the second annual London Voices 2018 competition at a high-profile event at the Art Workers Guild in Bloomsbury.
The competition encourages and promotes emerging journalism talent across the capital, giving diverse individuals the opportunity to tackle both local and national issues. Londoners over the age of 14 across 21 boroughs sent in written articles, videos, audio files and multimedia entries which challenged the ways people think about their communities and discussed issues ranging from food markets to child obesity, from mental health to non-league football. The competition was open to anyone who lives, works or studies in London, and received entries from schools, FE Colleges, Universities and individuals. Around half of the entries were from people with no previous experience of journalism.
The competition was sponsored by London Learning Consortium, Journo Resources, London South Bank University, Newsweek Media Group, Panda Radio, The Media Society, Update News and ynuk.tv.
The event was introduced by Alex Hudson, Deputy Editor of Metro UK who spoke about the importance of getting new young voices into the media industry and the amazing range of entries generated by the competition. There was also an inspiring speech from 2017 competition winner Louisa Naks who shared her progress and achievements since winning the competition last year and encouraged all this year’s entrants to persevere in their journalistic ambitions.
The competition will be running again next year. Any individuals or organisations interested in becoming involved or who would like to find out about sponsoring the competition are asked to contact [email protected].
The full list of winners is as follows:
Arjan Arenas - Best young Journalist aged 14-18 Award sponsored by Update News for his written entry about the suffragettes and their fight for equality.
Arjan is in the sixth form at The Compton School, and is part of the team at Exposure, a youth magazine in Barnet which tackles themes relevant to young people and involves them in all stages of production. Arjan wrote his article about the suffragette movement following a discussion around women’s rights at Exposure, linking it to the centenary celebrations of the first votes for women. He interviewed his elderly neighbour and talked to her about the significance of the movement in the modern day. Arjan will be taking his A Levels next year and is already considering journalism as a career choice.
Atina Dimitrova - Best Urban Video Award sponsored by ynuk.tv for her video about Digital Skills in London
Atina came to London in 2015 from Bulgaria to study journalism at City University. She is interested in making documentaries about international relations, war, peace and human rights. She helps edit the hyperlocal website St John Street News and has interned at the Hackney and Islington Gazette. Her video covers the implications of a lack of digitally-skilled talent in London and the effect this may have on the future economics and development of London and the UK.
Atina hopes to study further and get experience as a political correspondent on a national newspaper or as a video editor at a TV channel.
Devon Davis - Runner Up for the Best Young Journalist aged 14-18 Award – sponsored by Update News for her written entry about youth crime and cuts to youth budgets.
Devon is 18 and has just completed her BTEC Extended Diploma in Media at John Ruskin College in Croydon. She has worked for Croydon TV as part of the HeadStart challenge which helps get young people volunteering in their local community. Her entry about youth crime was inspired by her brother who has lost 23 friends to prison, suicide or death through violence. Devon wrote about how an increase in youth provision could help young people stay safe and off the streets. Devon is hoping to build up her work experience now but she dreams of becoming an editor, a documentary maker or working as an international current affairs journalist on TV.
Isla Russell - Best Written Entry Award sponsored by Journo Resources for her written article about mental health in the city
Isla is studying journalism at London South Bank University and is passionate about the longer forms of story writing. She has written her own blogs since the age of 13, including her most recent one entitled ‘All the stuff in between’. The inspiration for her entry about mental health stems from personal experience and she has long been involved in raising awareness about mental health issues. She wanted to explore how women cope in the media with their mental health and encourage people to start discussing their own experiences. Isla’s dream is to take her current blog and turn it into her own company and journalistic publication.
James Dowden - Best Written Entry (Beginners) Award sponsored by Journo Resources for his written article about the highs and lows of non-league football.
James has just completed his first year of sixth form at Hampton School in Richmond where he edits the school newspaper, the Hampton Sports Chronicle. His article described a season at non-league Hampton and Richmond Borough FC and followed a range of volunteers and fans, becoming part of the club ‘family’. His story outlines how the team nearly won the league and then nearly won the playoffs – aptly demonstrating the joys and lows of being a football fan. James dreams of combining his passion for writing and sports by working on a sports desk for a national newspaper, writing about his first love – football.
Luke Chillingsworth and Thomas Mackie - Best Young Journalist sponsored by The Media Society for their Video entry about the Shoreditch Licensing laws.
Both Luke and Thomas are studying at City University and have just started working together. Luke’s passion for journalism began when he started producing his own motor sports magazine from home at the age of 10, and Thomas worked for his school magazine in Lancaster and runs his own blog. Luke and Thomas made their video after becoming aware that an impending vote on changes to licensing hours in Shoreditch, which would affect all local bars and clubs, was not being covered by local press or highlighted to local businesses. Thomas did the role of on-screen presenter with Luke behind the camera, and both worked together on the script and editing. Both Luke and Thomas still have a year to go at university, but Luke has always dreamed of being a Formula One presenter while Thomas hopes one day to be seen on-screen presenting the news or as a foreign affairs correspondent.
Phoebe Gardner - Best Multimedia Journalist sponsored by London South Bank University for her multimedia article on the decline of traditional food markets across London
Phoebe is studying journalism at Goldsmiths University, where she has just finished her final year. She has always been fascinated by current affairs, especially those people and stories that don’t make the mainstream news. She loves all aspects of journalism and has incorporated writing, photos, video clips, time lapse and interactive maps all into one article about the change and decline of traditional food markets in London and the implications for those gripped by inequality and poverty. Phoebe would love to write for a magazine or work behind the scenes in the online world, designing articles, choosing photos, and editing format and layout.
Tianxing (Star) Tang - Best Audio Journalist Award sponsored by Panda Radio for her audio article on childhood obesity in the UK
Star was born in China and went to Zhejiang University where she took part in an exchange programme at Oxford University, visiting London for the first time. Fascinated by its diversity and cultural atmosphere, she returned in 2017 for an MA in Journalism at Westminster University. Her entry talks about the scale of the child obesity problem in the UK and what is being done to tackle it. She wanted to use audio as her medium to show how it is possible to get creative juices flowing without making things visual. Star dreams of making radio and video documentaries about social issues and cultural diversity.
Taiwo Salami - Best Beginner Award sponsored by The Media Society for his written article about underhand parking fines in London boroughs.
Taiwo is a Health Care Support Worker and enrolled at London South East Colleges in Bromley to study on one of their adult GCSE English courses to help him improve his writing skills. Inspired by the college’s use of different approaches to motivate students, he attended a London Voices workshop run by sponsor Journo Resources. Interested by what he learned about journalism and writing at the workshop, he decided to write about the issues motorists face being wrongly ticketed for parking. Taiwo has decided to continue with his academic study and is even thinking about producing more articles to help Londoners have a say in local issues.
Torbjoern Joerstad - Best Young Journalist Award sponsored by The Media Society for his written entry about a bombing raid on Highbury Corner during the Second World War
Torbjoern is from Norway and studies Journalism at City University. His passion for journalism started during a school exchange with the USA where he worked as a student reporter, and he still spends his summers working for a regional newspaper near Oslo. His written article deals with the destruction wrought at Highbury Corner by a doodlebug bomb, creating so much damage that the area was later cleared to make place for a roundabout. Torbjoern dreams of a reporting job covering current affairs with a national newspaper or producing features, especially covering culture, arts or history.
Valerio Esposito - Best Student Journalist sponsored by Newsweek Media Group for his video entry about the disability campaigners fighting for more changing places in London
Valerio is from Italy and moved to London in 2015 to study for a BA in Journalism at City University. He is editor of the St John Street News hyperlocal website reporting on local community issues around Islington and Hackney. He made his video after hearing about Sadiq Khan’s plan to install more ‘changing places toilets’ in London and wanted to find out what impact the lack of current facilities has on the quality of life and dignity of disabled people and their families. Valerio has just got a job as a script assistant at Sky News and wants to work in broadcast journalism.
Main sponsor London Learning Consortium CEO Steve Jeffery said: “It was a fantastic second year for London Voices and we are so proud to have continued our support. This year’s winners showed exactly why we started this competition - they challenged and reflected what is going on in London and showed us what could be possible by producing inspiring and thought-provoking articles.”
Competition manager Amanda Pavon-Lopez said “The competition was hard-fought and it was an incredibly tough job for the judges to choose winners. This just goes to show what an amazing wealth of talent there is out there in London, and how journalism is still very much alive and relevant for today’s young people. The winners all submitted interesting and well-researched pieces in a huge variety of formats. It’s been a real privilege to see the response to the competition.”
Media Society Judge Patrick Barrow said “It’s been great to hear so many different voices reflecting how much London has changed – and stayed the same. Many of the entries were thoughtful and illuminating accounts of life in the capital from many viewpoints and judging them was a rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
Newsweek Media Group sponsor Daniel Orton said, “I'd just like to reiterate how wonderful and inspiring it is to see those young people getting involved in journalism”.
Update News sponsor Jamie Moreton said, “It was so difficult to choose, the entries have been absolutely stunning! I wish I could choose more as winners! It has been an absolute pleasure to judge and we're excited to work with some of the winners in future on Update News and at The BRIT School”.
All the winning entries to the competition can be seen on the London Voices competition website http://www.londonlc.org.uk/london-voices/. (to be published w/c 16th July)
----- Ends ----
For further information, contact Competition Manager Amanda Pavon-Lopez, [email protected] or 07812 159689.
Web version photos are attached to this email. Print quality images can be supplied on request. Photos are available of all the winners.
Additional information about the winners or sponsors is available from competition manager Amanda Pavon-Lopez, [email protected] or 07812 159689. Interviews can also be arranged.
Copies of the individual competition entries can also be obtained from Competition Manager Amanda Pavon-Lopez, [email protected] or 07812 159689
Notes to Editors
1. The London Voices competition was launched in autumn 2016. This is the second year the competition has run.
2. The competition encourages people who live, work or study in London and are over the age of 14 to send in original works of journalism in print, video, audio or multimedia.
3. The competition targets people who have no previous experience of journalism, or who are still studying.
4. This year there were entries from 21 London boroughs
5. Main Sponsor London Learning Consortium is a Community Interest Company that works for the benefit of communities and businesses across London. It provides a range of services within the learning and skills sector, with a membership drawn from Voluntary and Community Sector learning providers and other learning and skills delivery partnerships. Growing out of a 2005 European Social Fund project designed to sustain community learning, the LLC now works with some of the most disadvantaged groups in the region. CEO Steven Jeffery attended the presentation of the awards and took a personal interest in the competition.
6. Other Sponsors: The competition is additionally sponsored by The Media Society, Newsweek Media Group, Update News, ynuk.tv, London South Bank University, Journo Resources and Panda Radio. These sponsors provided prizes of work experience in newsrooms or on location, advice, mentoring and a range of other prizes.
7. More information, images and links to the winning entries can be found at http://www.londonlc.org.uk/london-voices/, on Twitter @LondonVoices18 or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/londonvoice16?ref=bookmarks
London Voices Journalism Competition
Christopher Wren Yard
119 High Street, Croydon
CR0 1QG
07812 159689
[email protected]