Newsday 2008, a national challenge to find the very best young journalists, has been launched this week by the Guardian’s learnnewsdesk.
Newsday invites school pupils across the UK to spend a day in February or March producing a newspaper or news website. Pupils can also submit a short report, blog, podcast and newspaper or website written in a foreign language. Winning schools will be invited to a special awards day at the Guardian Newsroom on June 20 2008.
Over 5,000 schools already access learnnewsdesk, the Guardian’s online news service for schools.
Lucy Haire, head of learn.co.uk said: "Learnnewsdesk provides a great way for the Guardian to engage with its next generation of readers and contributors. Newsday 2008 is the perfect vehicle to help us reach even more schools, and encourage children to really think about the world they live in."
Margaret Holborn, head of education at the Guardian Newsroom, who will host the Newsday awards, said: “Hosting the Newsday 2008 awards is a natural extension to the daily work of the Newsroom where we teach school parties about journalism and let children have a go at making their own newspapers and websites in our state-of-the art schoolroom.”