The FJA Runners Up & Winners 2024

On Thursday 11th April, we welcomed many talented pupils from schools across the region along with their teachers and families to out Catalyst Building here at Staffordshire University for the Future Journalist Awards Ceremony. 

The event kicked off with our awards ceremony, where anticipation was high as the winners and runners-up were unveiled. Following the awards presentation, attendees were treated to refreshments and had the opportunity to embark on exclusive tours of our state-of-the-art newsroom facilities. It was a memorable afternoon filled with celebration, networking, and exploration of the cutting-edge resources available to aspiring journalists.

Our winners and runners up for this year’s competition were:

Years 3 – 4:

Written Runner-up:

  • Lucy Wright – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy: 

‘PETS’

  • Monroe Whitehead-Rattan – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy: 

‘SAVING THE WORLD IN FASHION’

Written Winner:

  • Hadi Yaqoob – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy: 

‘FLOODING CONCERNS’

Audio Winner:

  • Eden George – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘PEACE AND WAR’

Video Runner Up:

  • Noel Chan – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy: 

‘INTERVIEW WITH A PANDA’

Video Winner:

  • Gabriella Phillips – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy: 

‘ATHLETICS’

Years 5 – 6

Written Runner Up:

  • Antoni Zakrzewski – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

 ‘EGG-CITING DISCOVERIES’

  • Isla Boon – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘DANCE SHOW REVIEW’

Written Winner:

  • Laila Redmond – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘KNIFE CRIME’

Audio Winner:

  • Lilianna Melnicka – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘PIANO TEACHER INTERVIEW’

Video Runner Up:

  • Isabella Walker – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘THE BENEFITS OF READING’

  • Bethany Damjanovic – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘DOG TRAINING AND COMMANDS’

Video Winner:

  • Maheen Alyas – St Gregory’s Catholic Academy:

‘OUTDOOR SAFETY’

Years 7 – 9

Written Runner Up:

  • William Ashington – Painsley Catholic College:

‘AMPUTEE LIFE’

  • Penelope Chatterley-Bailey – Painsley Catholic College:

‘AERIAL ARTS’

Written Winner:

  • Istvan Toth – Painsley Catholic College:

‘A GUIDE TO WEALTH’

Audio Runner Up:

  • Harry Stoddart – Painsley Catholic College:

‘STOKE CITY FC HISTORY’

  • Zachary Challinor – Painsley Catholic College:

‘KEN BLOCK FEATURE’

Audio Winner:

  • Haniel Ifatumo – Painsley Catholic College:

‘THE INVINCIBLES AND 2004 SEASON’

Video Runner Up:

  • Celia Chandler – Painsley Catholic College:

‘WHY PLAY RUGBY?’

  • Nikita Krasovs – Painsley Catholic College:

‘RED DEAD REDEMPTION’

Video Winner:

  • Cameron Stubbs – Painsley Catholic College:

‘CLIMATE CHANGE’

Years 10 – 11

Written Runner Up:

  • Ella Wright – The Orme Academy:

‘TEENS UNDER PRESSURE’

  • Hannah Franklin – Painsley Catholic College:

‘FAST FASHION’

Written Winner: 

  • Millie Bradshaw – Painsley Catholic College:

‘UK NET ZERO COMMITMENT’

Audio Runner Up:

  • Urooj Asif – Painsley Catholic College

‘ISLAM RELIGION’

Audio Winner:

  • Hanna Biju – St Joseph’s College

‘FEMINISM’

Video Winner:

  • Liam Harrison – The Orme Academy

‘COMMENTARY VIDEO’

Years 12 – 13

Written Runner Up:

  • Emily Piekos – Painsley Catholic College

‘DOMESTIC ABUSE’

  • James Salt – Painsley Catholic College

‘THE PANDEMIC & MENTAL HEALTH’

Written Winner:

  • Kara Perry – Painsley Catholic College

‘ARE WOMEN BECOMING VICTIMS OF THE ONCE TRUSTED POLICE FORCE?

Exciting News: Introducing our Special Guests

Only one month to go until it’s time to honour the up-and-coming bright stars with the Future Journalist Awards Ceremony. This year, we received an incredible number of outstanding entries, and we greatly value your involvement.

We have secured three incredible industry professionals to come along to this years event to inspire and motivate our talented young people across the county. Without our special guests, the event wouldn’t be the same and we are very excited to be able to announce them.

The three special guests that will be attending the awards this year are ‘TNT Sports’ Matt Smith; and BBC presenter Lucas Yeomans.

These industry experts will be a wonderful addition to the event, and we are thrilled to have them join us. Stay tuned for our special guest’s upcoming individual blog posts to discover more about their professional journey and background.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Introducing our final judge: Sonya Farrall

Sonya Farrall who owns PR Agency Baba Baboon and who has previously guest lectured the Journalism and Digital Media students here at Staffordshire University is our final judge to be judging the entries for the 2024 Future Journalist Awards. 

We are delighted to have Sonya return as one of our esteemed judges as we get ready for another exciting year of the Future Journalist Awards.

Sonya’s journey into the world of media began here at Staffs, where she laid the foundation for a remarkable career ahead. Sonya made a name for herself in the media over the years, learning a great deal and developing her skills along the way.

Reflecting on her journey, Sonya commented 

“Having worked in the media myself and also being a Staffordshire University alumni, it is great to support the Future Journalist Awards once again. I think the awards are brilliant and a great way to encourage future journalists. The media is forever evolving and it is great to see what younger people can create via their entries – which from previous experience, have always been outstanding. I am really looking forward to being a judge once again and supporting such great initiative.”

We are incredibly grateful to Sonya for her unwavering commitment to the Future Journalist Awards and her ongoing assistance. Together, let us embrace the opportunity to celebrate and empower the next generation of storytellers.

The FJA is still accepting applications, and they will conclude this Friday, March 1st.  

Application Tips: Audio

Listen closely—do you hear it? The sound of stories yearning to be heard and waiting to be told. In the journalism industry, stories are intended to be felt, experienced, and resonated through audio as well as through the written word. They should ignite emotion and create vivid images in the minds of those listening.

When it comes to audio storytelling, your voice becomes the brush and the story, your masterpiece. With the Future Journalist Awards deadline quickly approaching, using sound to its full potential can open doors to capturing audiences and creating unforgettable stories.

Audio Application Tips:

– Writing for radio – when writing your script, use short words and sentences for ease. And make sure you’re able to pronounce the words you want to say!

– Slow down – it’s important to add emphasis to your voice and slow down to make sure you’re really getting the point across.

– Utilise sounds – whatever your story, make sure you’re utilising relevant sounds to add to your piece to make it more interesting.

– Know your purpose – it’s key to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your audio piece. Having a clear purpose will help crafting your piece accordingly.

– Relax – breathe deeply a few times before you record, especially if you’re nervous. Don’t forget, if you do mess up, it’s fine to start over.

– Record in one take – try and record your audio piece in one sitting as this will help if you need to edit your audio.

Audio journalism provides a more immersive experience for the audience and is a really fun area of journalism. Why not give it a go and enter the FJA with an audio submission!

Don’t forget the deadline for the competition is March 1!

The Power of Storytelling

Journalism is a dynamic storytelling medium that continuously evolves and has the ability to educate, uplift, and inspire change. It is our responsibility as journalists to find the truths and accurately and extensively communicate them to the public.

One of a journalist’s most valuable skills is the ability to tell stories. It’s a way of purposefully using narrative and storytelling to share information. Sourcing exciting information and presenting it in a way that hooks your audience in is essential to crafting a great story. 

It’s key to begin your story with the most important information and keep your audience’s interests front and centre while writing an engaging story. Steer clear of jargon in your writing to further engage readers, listeners, or viewers. 

Tips for Storytelling:

  • Remember to tell an engaging story that is also educational if you want to stand out from the competition. This is ultimately your secret weapon. 
  • Choose the angle you want to take on the story before you start crafting it. While journalists ought to maintain impartiality, choosing your viewpoint will aid with keeping concentration and delivering a clear message.
  • Consider what makes your story unique and go with that.
  • Journalistic writing is all about accuracy; if you stick to the facts, you’ll be fine. Remember to not include your personal opinions.
  • If you’re a written journalist, you should express your point using simple language and well-formed sentences. Articles should aim for a sentence length of approximately 20 words, with one to three sentences per paragraph.
  • maintain ethical standards.  Your stories should convey accurate, dependable, and trustworthy information acquired from reliable sources.

As a journalist, there are countless ways to tell stories, from radio pieces to television news packages. Storytelling is more than just writing narratives. For instance, creating a visual package can elicit feelings and provide additional context that words alone might not be able to. 

As the journalism industry transitions to the digital era. It’s critical to master the use of social media platforms, data visualisation tools, content management systems, and multimedia storytelling techniques. Journalists can improve their narrative skills and interact with their audience in new ways by effectively utilising these tools.

Staffordshire University’s Future Journalist Awards returns for 2024 

On November 15, Staffordshire University’s journalism students organised an informative event tailored exclusively for teachers, providing an insight into the Future Journalist Awards (FJA) 2024.  

The launch event was held in the journalism department’s newsroom and was attended by teachers from schools across Staffordshire. Attendees were given a hands-on tour of the broadcast newsroom and fully equipped radio studio, giving them the opportunity to use professional standard equipment. 

The Future Journalist Awards, which is organised by third-year Sports Journalism and Journalism and Digital Media students, is open to young people aged seven to 18.  

To enter, applicants need to write an article, review, or blog, or can choose to create a short video or audio clip on a smartphone. 

Teachers wanting to encourage their students to enter the awards can book a workshop, either at their school or college.  

For the first time, there is also an option to book a workshop to be held at Staffordshire University, giving young learners the opportunity to experience the broadcast newsroom and radio studio first-hand. 

At the launch, journalism student Louis Eccleston, a member of the FJA events management team, presented an overview of the awards. The presentation included an interview with sports presenter Matt Smith, who shared his journey into journalism.  

Smith who studied Modern Languages and Politics, recounted his transformative experiences of living in Italy, which fuelled his passion for media and journalism. An interview that highlighted his insightful story demonstrated the various routes into the industry while inspiring those watching with the wide range of possibilities that a career in journalism presents. 

Journalism student Ben Hopley, of the FJA school liaison team, emphasised the value of the awards, before showcasing two videos submitted by previous year’s winners. The first explored current concerns, highlighting the significance of online safety. The second highlighted the diversity that the applicants bring to their work.  

Deadline for the competition is March 1 and full details on how to enter can be found on the competition website: www.blogs.staffs.ac.uk/futurejournalist/. For more information, or to book a workshop, email futurejournalist@staffs.ac.uk.  

All finalists from each of the five age categories will be invited to a special award ceremony to take place on March 28 at Staffordshire University’s Catalyst Building.  

There will be three winners per category: best written content, best video, and best audio. Each will win a £50 Amazon voucher and be invited to attend a Newsday Experience at the University. 

Introducing the Future Journalist Awards: Inspiring Tomorrow’s Storytellers 

Are you prepared to set off on a voyage via words, pictures, and sounds, where the possibilities for your storytelling are endless? We are excited to be hosting the Future Journalist Awards, an exciting contest that will spark young people’s imaginations and offer a unique platform for aspiring writers and content creators. 

What is the FJA? 

The Future Journalist Awards aims to inspire and encourage students – Yr. 3 to 13- from Staffordshire and the surrounding counties to consider a career in journalism.  

Participants in this innovative competition are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild, creating videos, audio pieces, or written composition.  

What to expect:

  • Categories: There are five Year Group categories. There is a place for everyone on our competition, from inquisitive Year 3 students just learning about journalism, to experienced Year 13 students who may be considering it as a career. 
  • Unleash Your Creativity: Participants are encouraged to display their writing and content creation skills in a format that most appeals to them. This is your chance to shine, whether you produce a written article, review, or blog, or opt to make a short video or audio. 
  • Mentorship and Guidance: Our event not only provides a platform for creative expression but also offers mentorship and guidance from seasoned journalists. You’ll have the chance to learn from the best in the industry and gain insights into the world of journalism. 

Why It’s Worth Your Participation: 

  • Empowering Future Voices: Beyond competition, there are other aspects to the FJA. By nurturing the applicant’s passion for reporting and content creation, it aims to strengthen the future voices of journalism. 
  • Inclusivity: By welcoming students of different ages and backgrounds, our event fosters inclusivity and diversity in journalism. We believe that everyone has a story to tell, and we’re here to help you tell yours. 
  • Real-World experience: This competition provides you with valuable real-world experience. It’s a chance to explore your interests and passions and develop your skills in a supportive and engaging environment.  
  • Networking Opportunities: Make connections with mentors, business professionals, and other students. This is a great opportunity to network and broaden your horizons, which could lead to future opportunities in journalism. 

The FJA is an occasion devoted to stoking the creative sparks within young people, fostering the next generation of storytellers, and honouring the expressive power of words, images, and voices. Come along to Staffordshire University with us as we set out on an exploration of journalism. Your story starts here! 

Stay tuned for more information on how to participate and make your mark in the world of journalism. We can’t wait to see your unique stories come to life.