The IPF is launching our ‘University Challenge’ to empower the next generation of journalists in the UK.
Student unions across the country are invited to get involved and provide their members with a real work experience opportunity, while also raising the voices of UK’s youth and empowering them to tell the stories that they think should make it onto the news agenda.
About IPF
With more than 500 contributors from over 50 countries around the world, we provide a platform for young people to shine a light on the voices behind the headlines. We work with contributors to effectively tell stories from their communities by giving them the tools they need to flourish as journalists and storytellers.
Founded in 2012, the IPF originally started as a blogging platform for young people to share their thoughts and opinions on international affairs. We were winners of the Virgin Media Pioneers trip to India to meet Richard Branson and have run projects like Libyan Youth Voices, which garnered international attention.
What is the IPF University Challenge?
The IPF University Challenge is open to student union societies across the country and will engage students to tell stories from their communities that haven’t made it into the mainstream press.
A winning entry will be chosen from every participating student union/society and each winner will have their article published on the IPF, as well as be offered the chance to become a permanent IPF contributor. This means that societies are not competing against each other – instead, we want to shine a light on the talent from a number of different societies who have a range of different interests and views.
The IPF University Challenge will give all participants a chance to improve their journalism and storytelling skills, with every entry receiving feedback from our editorial team.
How to enter
- Encourage your student union/student society to sign up as a participating society.
- Register your interest with your society/student union.
- Send your entry to your society/union representative admin no later than 30 December 2015.
- Your entry must include: Your full name, email address, biography, 100 words about your entry, and your entry.
- Your society/union will send all entries to the IPF and winners will be announced on 10 January 2015.
Submission guidelines
The IPF focuses on telling personal stories and reporting on the people and projects behind the headlines. We don’t want articles and videos that are a repeat of what we have already heard in the news – we want to know what’s happening behind these big issues and we want to know about the people who are passionate about these issues and what they’re doing about it.
We’re here to shine a light on those who haven’t been noticed by the mainstream media, but who are doing incredible things or who have important stories that deserve to be recognised.
- Stories: People who have been affected by a certain news topic – these can be written by the person themselves, if you are one of them, or you can interview the person affected.
- Videos: If there is an issue in your community that hasn’t been reported on by mainstream media, grab a camera and report on what is going on. This must be unique content.
- Profiles: A profile of an interesting organisation/charity/group/person/campaign that no one has heard about. This must be a group/individual that is doing something extremely innovative and unique to be considered.
- Documentaries: Young documentary filmmakers (16-25) are invited to submit their work.
- Photography: Young photographers (16-25) are invited to submit their work.
Terms and conditions
- You must be enrolled at UK university to participate
- Your work must tell a story from a specific community (this could be a community anywhere in the world and is not restricted to your university area)
- All entries must be submitted to your university by midnight on 30 December 2015
- All content submitted must be original content
- All content submitted must have been created by you