The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) invites entries for the 2009 World Young Reader Prizes, sponsored by Norske Skog of Norway. This competition awards newspapers that have devised innovative projects or activities for young readers (under age 25). The special prize for Press Freedom requires applying by a deadline earlier than the other categories. (See deadline information below.)

Projects submitted to the Young World Leader Prize may be in one of six categories:

1. Editorial: A newspaper content strategy;
2. Making the News: Activity that gives young people the chance to experience professional newspaper practice;
3. Newspapers in Education (NIE): Use of the newspaper as a teaching tool;
4. Public Service: Public service project in areas such as press freedom, literacy, youth civic involvement, etc.;
5. Brand: Other projects that improve a newspaper brand's relationship with youth; and
6. Special Prize - Press Freedom: Actions that effectively teach about the fragility and importance of press freedom in a democratic society.

The jury will take into consideration the contribution the programme has made to the newspaper business. This could be in terms of revenue generation, circulation, readership growth, or brand awareness. Each winner will receive EUR1,000.

Entries must be based on a single project or a series of related activities conducted in the 24 months before the entry deadline. Each participant must send in send in a PowerPoint presentation, limited to no more than 15 megabytes on a CD or 5 megabytes via email, of their project in English.

The deadline for application is April 15 2009 for the Press Freedom category and June 5 2009 for all others.

Click here for more information.

Young People's Media Network on July 2 2008; and WAN website on March 4 2009.