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Hugo Young Award

Recognising young talent in political opinion writing
Rosie Anfilogoff and Beth Riding have won the Hugo Young award 2024
We are delighted to announce that Rosie Anfilogoff is the winner of the 2024 Hugo Young Award (19-25 category). Rosie’s winning piece focuses on the issues people with disabilities face accessing higher education in the UK, in particular after the reduction of online learning post-pandemic.

Beth Riding, from Camborne Science and International Academy, Cornwall is the winner of the award's younger age category. Her piece looks at inequality of access to dental care in her local area.

This award celebrates new voices and fresh perspectives in the UK which, now more than ever, is essential to the future of quality, independent journalism.
Read Rosie's piece in the Guardian
Read Beth's piece in the Guardian
Runners up
Congratulations to the runners up for their high quality entries:

  • Georgia Mealings (19-25 age category): The families at the heart of our alcoholism epidemic

  • Saoirse Williams (16-18 age category): Feminism Vs. the Andrew Tate epidemic and what it has shown us

  • Tiara Ekanayake Goonasinghe (16-18 age catgory): Reflecting on a childhood lived under the Conservatives

    • About the award
    The competition offers a range of prizes, provides a platform for new voices in journalism and gives young people the opportunity to gain experience and networks. This year, we invited those aged 16-25 from a state school background to submit a short political opinion piece on a subject of their choice. As always, we particularly encouraged entries from those with a lower socio-economic background, Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and people with a disability.

    Next's year's competition will open early in 2025 for 16-25s.

    Am I eligible to enter in 2025?

  • You must be 16-25 to apply. This includes those aged 16 and those aged 25.

  • You must be resident in the UK to enter.

  • Only those from a state school background can apply. This criterion is included to ensure we are championing voices typically underrepresented in the media and achieving our aims as a charity. This means that you are either currently attending a state-funded school or have previously attended one.

  • This competition is about discovering new talent. If you are working as a journalist, freelance or otherwise, this competition is not for you.

    • Prizes
    Prizes for 2024 included cash prizes, Guardian Live tickets, work experience, free digital subscriptions and much more!

    Previous winners
    hugo-young-award-ella-2023.jpg

    My mum’s death was slow and painful – she deserved the choice to end her life

    Ella Creamer won our older age category award in 2023 with her article which focuses on the realities of palliative care. Following her work experience gained as part of her award win, Ella was offered a position on the Guardian books desk.

    hugo-young-award-elsie-2023.jpg

    The truth about "regeneration" in London: I can’t afford to live where I grew up

    Elsie McDowell won our younger age category with her article on gentrification. She went on to be commissioned for a further piece “What do young people want on coronation day? More teachers, climate action: start with that”.

    young-hugo-award-2021-abby-wallace-400-x400-px.jpg

    Integrated education in Northern Ireland is urgent – why can’t our leaders see that?

    Abby Wallace’s piece won our 2021 older age category award. She is now a reporter for the Financial Times.

    More pieces

    Guidance and support
    The guidance on full terms and conditions for your category will be published closer to the time.
    Writing tips
    Check out our advice on feature and opinion writing.
    Get writing tips
    Get in touch
    If you have questions about the competition, we are happy to help. Feel free to drop us an email.
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