Could you be the JC’s Young Journalist of 2010?

Here, you will find all the details you need to take part in our competition to find the best young journalists in the Jewish community. The only qualification is that you are at secondary school. And don’t worry about age: 11-year-olds will have as much chance of winning as sixth-formers, because the judges (chaired by Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle) will take the age of entrants into account. There are five categories: reporter, sports reporter, columnist, photographer and feature writer. Here’s a brief guide to what these titles mean and what we are looking for:

Reporter
This is the journalist who brings in news stories or is sent out to cover breaking stories. But don’t worry, we’re not looking for you to break news. What we want is to see how your report tells the reader what happened, gives the facts, asks the people you speak to for the story the questions the reader wants to have answered, and generally conveys the essence of the story. Whether it’s something which has happened at school, in your street or nationally, you should capture the whole story.

Sports reporter
Lots of people turn to the sports page first. What they are looking for usually is a report which explains what happened at a match, captures the atmosphere and gives a level of analysis you can’t get from the TV or radio. And that’s what we want from you: tell us about your sports day, a football match, a golf tournament – anything you like. But draw us in to the excitement with your writing.

Columnist
Opinion is now the life blood of newspapers. Love them or hate them, newspaper columnists define their papers and build up a rapport with their readers. You can find a columnist expressing something you’ve thought but saying it in a way that helps clarify what you think; you can think of a subject in an entirely new way when you read what they write; or you can think they are completely wrong. But a good column always does the same thing: it takes a subject and forces you to think about it. And that’s what we want from you.

Photographer
The cliché is true: a picture can be worth 1,000 words. Pictures are all about telling a story or capturing an atmosphere. Whether it’s a news event, sport, an interesting character or something quirky, the pictures you send us should grace any newspaper.

Feature writer
Newspapers need a mix of news and features. Features – interviews or longer pieces about people, events or themes – are all about the writing. Even an apparently dull or obscure piece can be a real winner if it’s well written; and conversely, seemingly fascinating ideas can be deadly dull if written poorly. So make sure that whatever you send us sings off the page.

Each of the category winners will come to the JC offices for a day in the school holidays and, with the help of JC staff, edit a special pull-out section of the paper which will be published that week.

The JC will also give £500 to the schools of the winners.

The competition is now open, but the closing date is not until November 30 2009, so there is plenty of time you to think about your submissions. You may submit as many pieces as you like, but the total word count of their pieces should not be more than 2,500 words. Photo-journalists may submit up to 12 pictures.

How to enter Simply send your entry by email to competitions@thejc.com and write YOUNG JOURNALIST in the subject field. Make sure you add a brief biography of yourself (age, address, school etc) and give a contact telephone number.

Good luck.

Terms and Conditions: For full terms and conditions please see classified section. Entries can be received by email only. The judging will take place after the closing date of November 30 2009. There will be one winner from each of the five categories. Each of the category winners will come to the JC offices for a day in the school holidays and, with the help of the JC staff, edit a special pull-out section of the paper which will be published that week. The JC will also give £500 to the schools of the winners. The judges’ decision is final; there are no alternative prizes and the JC will not enter in to correspondence re the decision of the judges. This competition is open to all secondary school pupils only. The promoter is The Jewish Chronicle, 25 Furnival Street, London, EC4A 1JT.