BBC Young Reporter Competition 2019 for UK residents

Deadline Date: October 26, 2019

Entries are invited for the BBC Young Reporter Competition 2019. The BBC is looking for young people aged between 11 and 18 who want to report on a story or issue which is important to their life or the world around them.

The BBC Young Reporter Competition gives young people like you a unique chance to tell your story on TV, radio, online or on social media with the help of BBC journalists, producers and programme makers. It could be something that is relevant to your life, or that of your family and friends, or it could be something that affects the wider world we live in – but which your own experience or reporting of can offer a unique perspective.

Categories

There are two categories – My Life and Our World. There are two age groups for each of these depending on whether you are aged 11 to 15 or 16 to 18. Just enter one category.

• “My Life” must be an original personal story, about you or someone you know (you’ll need their permission). It needs to be a story which has not been widely covered before. You will be expected to show how you would report on the wider context of the story, balancing any views and issues, and – if relevant – show how reporting it could raise wider awareness, and why this is important to you.
• “Our World” must be an original story around an issue or topic that is relevant to the world today. It needs to be an idea which has not been widely covered before, or offer a unique young person’s perspective on the subject. The story does not need to be about your life or anyone in your world, but you must be able to show how the reporting of the story will offer a new or alternative angle, and why you reporting it will be unique.

Prizes

• All Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will receive a BBC Young Reporter of the Year award and be invited to an awards ceremony.
• Gold winners will get to work with a BBC journalist or production team to make their story for radio, TV, online or social media, and the story will be broadcast on one of these platforms by the BBC w/c March 9, 2020 unless another date is agreed with the winner and the production team (this is to allow for editorial need to broadcast or make the content at a different time to suit a news agenda/broadcast need). Other award winners and entrants may also be given this opportunity based on the editorial strength of stories and broadcast requirements and availability.

Eligibility

• Open to all UK residents (including residents of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man)
• Applicants should be aged between 11 and 18 years old
• Entries may be submitted by an individual or a group. But only ONE entry is allowed per individual or group. The first entry will be considered, subsequent entries will be disregarded
• Those closely related to BBC or BBC Group company staff members or freelance BBC employees are ineligible

Judging Criteria

Judging will be completed using the following criteria:

• Editorial merit – strength of story and angle / suitability of story to programme or platform
• Originality and/or unique perspective
• Motivation for telling the story

Entry Requirements

• Entries will only be considered when submitted via the online mechanism. Only entries in English will be considered unless you are submitting from Wales where entries in Welsh are also permitted. For the purposes of judging Welsh entries will be translated into English. No other method of entry is permitted (this includes email or post). Entries can be written, recorded or filmed.
• Written entries should be no more than 500 words in length. Videos or audio recordings should not be over three minutes. Any excess entry will be disregarded so please ensure your entry does not run over the maximum length.
• Each entry must also include, in no more than 500 words, an outline why you want to share your story with a BBC audience.
• The entry submission must be the entrant’s own original work and not defame nor breach any copyright or contain anything that could be deemed offensive or inappropriate. Any material that is deemed unsuitable will be removed from the judging process and disqualified. Entrants should keep a copy as no entries will be returned.

Application

To enter, you need to send an outline of the story idea here.

For more information, visit BBC Young Reporter Competition.