The finalists of the 2020 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) International Competition have now been assessed by the International Jury, and the awarded entries have been selected. Over 275,000 students participated in the YRE programme this year, and they produced over 16,000 pieces of environmental journalism for national YRE competitions. The number and quality of entries reflects the continued motivation and dedication of YRE students around the world despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The entries awarded this year showcase YRE students’ great journalistic talent and a deep understanding of the complex environmental issues affecting their local communities. The International Jury has based their assessment on the students’ topic selection, their reflections on how the topic connects to the Sustainable Development Goals and their overall journalistic skills. The awarded entries represent some of the top youth environmental journalism in the world today.
”YRE gives youths a great platform to tackle global environmental challenges in innovative ways through photos, videos and articles. I was very inspired by the submissions and pleased to see complex environmental issues addressed as well as clear connections to Sustainable Development Goals,"
- Siiri Mäkelä, UNEP and YRE Jury Member.
The YRE International Competition would not be possible without the hard work of our YRE National Operators, whose inspiring efforts have enabled thousands of teachers and students to participate in this year’s competition. It is humbling to see this level of engagement, which empowers more students every year to take an active role in the future of their communities.
This year’s International YRE Jury
This year’s International Jury meeting took place virtually from the 15th-17th of September. The jury has assessed each shortlisted entry thoroughly, and awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, as well as Honourable mentions, based on their technical quality, level of investigation, originality, and dissemination. The International Jury represents expertise across a wide spectrum of fields, and consists of professionals in environmental journalism, corporate social responsibility and Education for Sustainable Development.
“I am happy to rejoin the YRE Jury as I was a member many years ago. I am very impressed by how over the years the quality of the reporting and of the themes chosen for the articles, videos and photos has improved. What has struck me is how committed and engaged the Young Reporters have become and how they have taken on the challenge to tackle key environmental issues at their local level.”
– Bernard Combes, UNESCO
List of Jury Members 2020:
Bernard Combes - UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)
Anne Vela-Wagner – Mars Wrigley Foundation
Torvald Jacobsson - IIIEE (Independent Institute for Innovation, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics), Lund University
Christopher Slaney - Freelance Journalist
Siiri Mäkelä - UNEP, Kenya
P.J. Marcellino - Portuguese-Canadian filmmaker, and a former YRE. Head of Development, Anatomy of Restlessness Films. Founder, Baobab Film Collective
James O'Hagan – Reporter in Euronews' Dubai bureau
Sasha Karajovic - Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Executive Board member with responsibility for YRE, Montenegro
Filipa Murta – YRE Alumna from Portugal
Find detailed information about each Jury Member here.
About the International YRE Competition
All entries competing in the YRE International Competition have been awarded 1st place in their respective countries’ National YRE competitions earlier this year. The entries are divided into three age groups (11-14, 15-18 and 19-25) as well as three media categories (articles, photos and videos). There is also a special category for International Collaboration. YRE students in countries participating in the Litter Less Campmaign have the opportunity to submit entries concerned with litter and waste issues, which have been assessed separately. All entries have been uploaded on the YRE Competition’s Exposure page.
The International YRE Competition winners for 2020 are:
Article, 11-14 years
1st Place
Title: Toxic Finger Food
Country: Slovakia
2nd Place
Title: Is the Teardrop of Europe weeping?
Country: Montenegro
Honourable Mentions
Title: Be The Right Change You Want to See in the World
Country: Singapore
Title: Reducing livestock mortality caused by household plastic waste
Country: Morocco
Article, 15-18 years
1st Place
Title: Residents Demand Better Used Clothes Recycling
Country: Slovakia
2nd Place
Title: Fireworks – beautiful environmental villains
Country: Sweden
3rd Place
Title: Biomimicry: The Salvation of the Dunes
Country: Puerto Rico
Honourable Mentions
Title: Fuel your body, not pollution: the rise and the problems of online food delivery
Country: International School in Bahrain
Title: Pollution: A Matter of Life and Death
Country: South Africa
Article, 19-25 years
1st Place
Title: Once A Month
Country: Puerto Rico
2nd Place
Title: A paradise for endangered species of wetland birds created thanks to a neglected irrigation system
Country: Czech Republic
3rd Place (shared)
Title: Living Zero Waste As Told By A Singaporean Eco-Warrior
Country: Singapore
Title: Slovak Cities Benefit from Using Rainwater
Country: Slovakia
Single Photo Reportage, 11-25 years
1st Place
Title: The ,,Red Lake'' near Dobro Selo in B&H
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
2nd Place
Title: Deadly Demand
Country: Singapore
3rd Place
Title: Footprint
Country: Israel
Honourable Mentions
Title: EAT LOCAL!
Country: India
Title: Cooking Yam in a Traditional Kitchen
Country: Ghana
Single Photo Campaign, 11-25 years
Honourable Mentions
Title: Nature, rest in peace
Country: Montenegro
Title: It's Time To Solve This Puzzle
Country: Portugal
Title: Congratulations, Humanity!
Country: Iceland
Photo Reportage of 3-5 Photos, 11-25 years
1st Place
Title: Five Alternative Solution Models to The Eco-Apocalypse from The New Rurals
Country: Turkey
2nd Place
Title: Mining: a scar on the planet
Country: Portugal
Honourable Mentions
Title: Kilometres Eaten
Country: Slovakia
Title: Making face masks for people of Murugu in Tamale, Ghana
Country: Ghana
Video, 11-14 years
1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Green Algae in Brittany
Country: France
Shared 2nd Place (as Reportage Videos)
Title: How to survive and not dry out
Country: Czech Republic
Title: Hands-on river revival: A community Fixing Their Environment!
Country: South Africa
3rd Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Polystyrene Snow
Country: Slovakia
3rd Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: The most dangerous pandemic is still human ignorance
Country: Portugal
Honourable Mention (as Reportage Video)
Title: Small Scabious Mining Bee
Country: Scotland
Video, 15-18 years
1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Is there a solution to internet pollution?
Country: Iceland
1st Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: Selfish and Hotdog
Country: Republic of Korea
2nd Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: Ocean Acidification
Country: Puerto Rico
3rd Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: Air Pollution in Sarajevo
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Honourable Mention (as Campaign Video)
Title: Driving Green
Country: Israel
Video, 19-25 years
1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Climate Urgency - Manifestation
Country: Portugal
2nd Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Cigarette Butts
Country: Argentina
Honourable Mention (as Campaign Video)
Title: What if Human Extinct?
Country: Malaysia
International Collaboration
1st Place (shared)
Title: Food Waste and Climate Change (video)
Countries: Malaysia and Singapore
Title: Plastic Waste - An Intercontinental Problem (video)
Countries: Wales and Spain
Honourable Mention
Title: Trash - A buried nightmare (article)
Countries: Portugal and Montenegro
Litter Less Campaign category:
Article, 11-14 years
1st Place
Title: Oh we do like to be beside the seaside
Country: Wales
2nd Place (shared)
Title: The Natural Respirator
Country: Northern Ireland
Title: To waste our life
Country: New Zealand
Honourable Mention
Title: The Pollution of the Valdemembra River
Country: Spain
Article, 15-18 years
1st Place
Title: Prestige nightmare still haunts Spanish government
Country: Spain
2nd Place
Title: The problem with electronic waste
Country: Northern Ireland
3rd Place
Title: Use of water fountains to reduce plastic waste
Country: Malta
Article, 19-25 years
Honourable Mention
Title: A journey from littering less to litter- less
Country: India
Single Photo Reportage, 11-25 years
1st Place
Title: Recycling makes good business sense
Country: India
2nd Place
Title: Sustainable surfer seeks waste at Sumner
Country: New Zealand
Honourable Mentions
Title: The scream
Country: Malta
Title: Smart shopping choices, why the plastic netting?
Country: Northern Ireland
Single Campaign Photo, 11-25 years
Honourable Mentions
Title: Are you a prisoner to plastic?
Country: Northern Ireland
Title: Shift to glass
Country: Malta
Photo story (3-5 photos), 11-25 years
Honourable Mention
Title: Bench with a view
Country: Malta
Video, 11-14 years
1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: From the Seine River to the Pacific Ocean
Country: France
2nd Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Reusable present wrappings – a gift to the environment
Country: Malta
3rd Place (as Campaign Video)
Title: Not just a dream
Country: New Zealand
Video, 15-18 years
2nd Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Plastic pollution awareness
Country: Malta
Video, 19-25 years
1st Place (as Reportage Video)
Title: Recycled Wood Furniture
Country: France
Honourable Mention (as Reportage Video)
Title: Another way out upcycling
Country: India
Congratulations to all winners!