School Newspaper of The Year Competition 2021-22
4th May 2022
THE FIRST NEWS SCHOOL NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2020-2021 IS NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES!
IT’S that time of year again! We’re out to find the best school newspapers of 2021-22 and to discover what your junior journalists have been up to.
Once again, it’s been a challenging year with the pandemic still disrupting education everywhere, so we know it will have been a tough task for your pupils to write, create and publish your school newspapers.
Last year, we were so impressed with all the entries we received and were amazed at what you’d all managed to achieve. So, we can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to this year.
It doesn’t matter whether your school has created a newspaper, newsletter, blog, podcast, broadcast or if you’ve been contributing to a local newspaper or news website, all entries are welcome.
Send your entries to us by Friday 17 June 2022. We will inform the winners in the first week of July and the winning entries will feature in a First News special report later that month.
Entering the awards
Please download and fill in the relevant entry form.
This year’s five award categories
You can enter for the following awards:
- Primary School Newspaper
- Secondary School Newspaper
- Editorial Team of the Year
Enter for this award if your editorial team has proven to work collaboratively to make your school newspaper/news output happen. - Innovative News Award
Enter for this award if your students have:- created a news website, blog, podcast or broadcast
- written news reports for a local newspaper or the school newsletter
- written / recorded and published news updates to raise awareness of an issue or project where they are trying to make a positive change in your community
- or have an innovative news project to tell us about
- First News Young Reporter Award
This award can be entered by young people at home or by teachers for individual students at school. Enter for this award if:- You are a young person who has created a newspaper / newsletter independently at home for your local community or friends and relations. Or, if you have written and published news reports on an issue that matters to you, to raise awareness of this topic
- If you are a teacher, and would like to enter your star reporter or investigative journalist from your school’s newspaper team
We’re looking for entries that …
- have stories and content that is just right for your readers
- inform your community of the important issues they need to know about
- challenges readers to think about the problems and dilemmas that affect us all
- provide a little bit of fun and fascination to make your school newspaper a must-read for everyone!
Entering the awards
Please download and fill in the relevant entry form.
Send your entries to us by Friday 17 June 2022. We will inform the winners in the first week of July and the winning entries will feature in a First News special report later that month.
Last year’s winners
Primary School Winner 2020-21: Ashcott Primary School
Secondary School Winner 2020-21: Manchester High School for Girls
Editorial Team Winner 2020-21: Notre Dame Catholic College
Find out more about their winning entries
2019-20 winners
Primary School Winner 2019-20: Faldingworth Community Primary School
Secondary School Winner 2019-20: St John’s Marlborough
Editorial Team Winner 2019-20: Bessemer Grange Primary School
Find out more about their winning entries
Start a school newspaper at your school
Want to start your own school newspaper or develop your junior journalists’ skills?
Download the First News School Newspaper Club pack.
It contains lots of advice on how to set up a school newspaper and tips to improve journalistic skills.
