Newspaper & Mailroom

World Young Reader Prizes Break New Ground

Wednesday 21. May 2014 - The World Young Reader Prize, which annually honours news publishers who succeed in engaging the young, has launched several new categories to reflect the changing media habits and needs of young people, the evolving media environment and the new players who can help in the effort.

“These prizes make known the excellent but often hidden work that news publishers are doing to assure a new audience of literate, civic minded citizens who care about, and can contribute to, excellent journalism,” said Larry Kilman, Secretary General of WAN-IFRA.
Entries are being accepted through 15 July. Full details and registration information are available at www.wan-ifra.org/worldyoungreaderprize
The four new categories added for 2014 are:
“Digital First” for the news publisher that most creatively engages the young through mobile telephones, tablets and other digital devices. This category is supported by CCI Europe.
“Going Green,” supported by Germany’s GreenTEC Campus, which will honour projects that give the young guidance and hope for improving the environment;
“Playing with News” for inventive activities that teach 10 to 14-year-olds about the news by doing the news.  Denmark’s Capital of Children is supporting this category.
“A Great Help” for a win-win partnership with a financial supporter that helps sustain excellence in news publisher engagement and service of youth.
The new categories join the core Young Reader Prize categories of brand, editorial, enduring excellence, learning with the news, public service, the Natasa Prize award for printing plants and World Young Reader Newspaper of the Year. All categories call for activities that target people under age 25.
The World Young Reader Prizes are part of WAN-IFRA’s efforts to recognise, encourage and disseminate innovative ideas and thinking to help build stronger and vital news media. World Young Reader Prize winning strategies are celebrated and shared as they benefit not only the media companies and their young audiences but also society as a whole. Prizes will be awarded at a major WAN-IFRA event.