A one-week workshop produced three winners in our storytelling contest. Across the Atlantic, St. Andrews Episcopal in Mississippi tied for second place.
Stories produced out of a week-long media camp at Realgymnasium Rämibühl Zürich (RGZH) took three prizes in the 15th News Decoder Storytelling Competition.
Also recognized by the three-judge panel were students from St. Andrews Episcopal School and The Tatnall School in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Delaware, respectively.
The entries examined complex questions: Do the risks of nuclear energy outweigh the need to slow down climate change? How do people reconcile loving animals and eating meat? Should we worry about what young people read? Is the idea of home anywhere you live? Why do people fear those who wear turbans?
First Prize went to Düzgün Ali Sarikaya of RGZH for a story that looked at why some European nations were embracing nuclear energy while others were ending such programs. His story came out of an intensive “Media Week” workshop with teacher Martin Bott, in which students became “foreign correspondents” under the mentorship of News Decoder.
Two students tied for Second Prize. Liv Egli, also in Bott’s Media Week workshop won for her story about the cognitive dissonance of animal lovers who eat meat. She tied with Emily Ireland, a student at St. Andrews Episcopal School for her story on attempts to ban books.
Enzo Cazzaniga, a third student in Bott’s Media Week workshop won for a thoughtful look at how people who move from place to place to maintain their culture while assimilating in new communities.
Tatnall takes honorable mention
Honorable mention went to two stories from The Tatnall School: Devon Chipman’s article that looked at the trend towards shorter school weeks and Ramanpreet Syan’s piece that explored discrimination against Sikh people.
The winners were selected by a three-person panel that included former climate project manager Karo Krakowiak, journalist Jacob Kushner who is an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and News Decoder board member Elis Estrada, who directs the student reporting labs at PBS NewsHour.
All three judges said they were impressed with the overall quality of the entries.
Of Sarikaya’s story on nuclear energy, one judge noted: “It’s clear that the student did lots of research.” Another wrote that it provided a great overview of the nuclear power landscape in Europe. “I learned a lot and appreciated the various perspectives.”
One judge raved about Egli’s story about animal lovers who eat meat. “Wonderfully deep and thought-provoking, drawing upon religion and other sets of values and morals,” the judge wrote. “Love the focus on Switzerland, which I happen to know is at the vanguard of this movement over the ethics of eating animals.”
And reading Ireland’s story on book banning, one judge had this to say: “An incredibly timely story as book banning sweeps the nation, and the world. And the story is incredibly global, giving examples from many corners of the world.”
Young people are natural journalists.
News Decoder Editorial News Director Marcy Burstiner said that this iteration of the contest produced an impressive collection of articles. “The topics the students took on and the breadth of the sourcing was impressive,” she said. “Every time we do this contest I am reminded that great journalism isn’t something only seasoned professionals can produce. Young people have the knack for asking really perceptive questions and the persistence to find people who can provide the answers.”
All the winning articles came out of classes and workshops that followed News Decoder’s signature Pitch-Report-Draft-Revise process. Working with News Decoder, students find a local story and connect it to problems happening elsewhere. They find and interview an expert on the subject, submit an article to News Decoder and then revise that story a number of times to ensure that it includes multiple perspectives and depth.
“Through this process, students get an understanding of how what is happening around them connects across borders,” Burstiner said. “They see themselves as part of a wider world. They break out of their different bubbles.”
The contest is held two times a year in honor of the late Arch Roberts Jr., who served with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna after more than 12 years as a staff member with the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. With the backing of an anonymous donor, News Decoder was able to award a total of $850 in cash prizes to this year’s winners.
To be considered for the contest, an entry must have been written by one or more students enrolled in a News Decoder partner institution. Students from nine schools in seven countries submitted articles to this iteration of the Storytelling Contest.
Learn more about News Decoder’s school partnership program.
Read the contest winners here:
First Prize
Second Prize (Tie)
Third Prize
Honorable Mentions