The finalists of the 2022 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) International Competition have now been assessed by the International Jury, and the awarded entries have been selected.
This year, the YRE programme received more than 230 entries from 35 countries for the YRE International Competition. The number and high quality of journalistic pieces submitted to the YRE International Competition show the continued motivation and developmentof YRE students across the world.
“It was another record year for submissions to the competition, with countries like Mauritius taking part for the first time and a strong showing across all age groups with increasing levels of creativity and maturity among some of the youngest of participants,” said Nick Nuttall, YRE Jury Member, Strategic Director of Communications at We Don't Have Time and former Director of Communications for UN Environment and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The International Jury has based their assessment on the YRE students’ selected topics , their reflections on how the topic connects to the Sustainable Development Goals and their overall journalistic skills. Therefore, the awarded entries represent some of the top youth environmental journalism in the world today.
Entries selected this year as shortlisted and awarded reflect a deep understanding of local environmental issues from the YRE students. They submitted insightful and interesting projects, depicting both environmental issues and solutions encountered in their local communities.
As Nick Nuttall explained, competition entries addressed “Long standing climate and environmental concerns like ocean pollution and wildlife conservation were showcased in print and video. But also journalistic submissions reflecting recent threats like the growth of devastating forest fires, issues such as climate anxiety and surprises including the often-overlooked pollution risks from the rapid growth in electronic cigarettes.”
As for next year, the Jury hope to see amore systematic approach in international collaboration category to achieve the goal of looking at one issue from different angles and making connections across countries.
This year’s International YRE Jury
This year’s International Jury meeting took place in hybrid form on the 30th of June in Copenhagen. The Jury assessed each shortlisted entry thoroughly, and awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, as well as Honourable Mentions, based on the technical quality, level of investigation, originality, and dissemination of each submission. 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.
YRE Jury met after two pandemic years in Copenhagen in FEE head office.
From left to right: P.J. Marcellino, Sasha Karajovic, Pramod Kumar Sharma, Adriána Henčeková, Gosia Luszczek, Siiri Mäkelä, Shimon Ginzburg, Nick Nuttall, etc joined virtually.
YRE Jury members:
· Christopher Slaney - editor
· Pedro Marcelino - YRE Student (1996), communications strategist, writer, filmmaker (Longyearbyen Consulting & Media)
· Siiri Mäkelä - UNEP
· Anne Vela-Wagner – MARS Wrigley Foundation
· Nick Nuttall – We Don’t Have Time
· Adriana Hencekova – YRE Alumni from Slovakia
· Bernard Combes – UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), (not presented at the meeting but participated in the assessment)
· Mark Terry – Youth Climate Report (not presented at the meeting but participated in the assessment)
· Sasha Karajovic – President of the Jury
Find detailed information about each Jury Member here.
All entries competing in the YRE International Competition have been awarded 1st place in their respective countries’ National YRE competitions earlier this year. The articles and videos entries are divided into three age groups (11-14, 15-18 and 19-25).
The photos categories are not split in age groups. There is also a special category for International Collaboration.
All entries have been uploaded on the YRE Competition’s Exposure page.
The winners of the competition will receive diplomas and will be published on different international medias, forums, environmental conferences and sessions.
Call for winners
The YRE team is impressed by the quality of the projects, and wishes to congratulate the winners of the 2022 competition!
The winners will be invited to a webinar in early September to celebrate together.
Get ready, information is coming soon!
DISCOVER THE 2022 INTERNATIONAL YRE COMPETITION WINNERS
Article, 11-14 years
1st Place
Title: Bats Haven't Lost Their Sanctuary
Country: Slovakia
2nd Place
Title: Ghost Gear
Country: New Zealand
3rd Place
Title: Urban agriculture for a sustainable city with happy inhabitants
Country: Greece
Honourable Mention
Title: Young people's climate anxiety
Country: Switzerland
Honourable Mention
Title: Fire-Fighting Trees To Stop Major Fires
Country: Portugal
Article, 15-18 years
1st Place
Title: No smoke without fire - electronic cigarettes affect environment and health
Country: Latvia
2nd Place
Title: GREENER PORT-LOUIS FOR A HEALTHIER URBAN HEART
Country: Mauritius
3rd Place
Title: Is there plastic in the Øresund?
Country: Sweden
Article, 19-25 years
1st Place
Title: Moulouya... Consecutive environmental hazards endanger one of Morocco's most valuable wetlands
Country: Morocco
2nd Place
Title: Climate Change and Religion
Country: Ireland
3rd Place
Title: LESS IS MORE FOR PEACE BAY
Country: Slovakia
Honourable Mention
Title: PLANET WILL CONTINUE TO
Country: India
Single Photo Reportage, 11-25 years
1st Place
Title: Terrifying light
Country: Montenegro
Honourable Mention
Title: The world's a hard place
Country: India
Single Photo Campaign, 11-25 years
Honourable Mention
Title: Our Actions, Our Future
Country: New Zealand
Photo Reportage of 3-5 Photos, 11-25 years
1st Place
Title: Frog Taxi
Country: Slovakia
2nd Place
Title: Past fires warn the future
Country: Portugal
Video, 11-14 years
1st Place
Title: Taking Action with Citizen Science
Country: New Zealand
2nd Place
Title: "FEARLESS" RESCUER
Country: Slovakia
3rd Place
Title: Light pollution
Country: France
3rd Place
Title: Slow down! Don`t exceed the speed of fashion
Country: Latvia
Video, 15-18 years
1st Place
Title: If we don't see it, we don't believe it
Country: Belgium
2nd Place
Title: Digital Pollution
Country: South Korea
2nd Place
Title: 57,4 Millions
Country: France
3rd Place
Title: Footbridges, an (in)sustainable tourism?
Country: Portugal
Honourable Mention
Title: Textile Waste
Country: Malaysia
Video, 19-25 years
1st Place
Title: In the Mediterranean, human beings and technology mobilised against ghost nets
Country: France
2nd Place
Title: Nature Conservation at Risk
Country: Slovakia
Honourable Mention
Title: Web Summit 2021: Startups for sustainability
Country: Portugal
International Collaboration
1st Place
Title: WILDFIRES & CLIMATE CHANGE A fiery summer for Turkey and Greece
Countries: Greece & Turkey
Honourable Mention
Title: Change for The Worse: Forest Fires in Turkey and Frost in Slovenia
Countries: Slovenia & Turkey
Congratulations to all winners of 2022!
About YRE: Founded in 1994, the YRE programme empowers young people to research and report on local environmental issues and promote solutions through investigative reporting, photography, and video journalism, giving them a sense that they can really make a difference in the world