14th January 2025
Simple media projects for big impact: Shine awards await ✨
Hello everyone,
Happy new year!
We often hear it’s a challenge to reboot a classroom in January, and perhaps that’s especially true with this very cold start to 2025.
Our deadline for this year’s Shine School Media Awards is in early May, so today I am suggesting that within this short term there’s an opportunity for creativity and learning with a one-off media project.
How might your students do this? Here are some ideas:
One-off editions
Set a project to create a single podcast episode or newsletter based on a book or subject students are reading, with a topic that is relatable to their own lives. Recorded and edited on a phone, these need only be 15 or 20 minutes long with an introduction, group debate or discussion, and a conclusion.
Focus on an educational or empowering event
Another idea is to tie any project to a milestone like:
- World Book Day
- International Women’s Day
- Children’s Mental Health Week
- British Science Week
… it could be that your school holds outcome-based study on these already. Collating your students’ writing in a single piece of print or PDF creates a compendium of their emotions and opinions. Such a thoughtful and progressive piece of work would be immediately eligible for our competition.
Make it a revision or learning aid
Over the years, several winning projects have had an educational theme around science in particular. Leading with a single central tentpole could allow for the study of sub topics that students may need to more fully understand. It can also help gain a deeper knowledge of nuance and argument. This could mean the project is directly beneficial to teachers’ and students’ exam preparations.
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From my conversations with teachers, I know the pressure you’re under to focus on exams this term, so these ideas are to encourage a manageable project that can align with your plans.
We like to keep things simple too: the Shine competition requires only ONE category to enter (such as best feature article, best podcast or digital magazine).
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Our 2025 entry form is available to download from today!
Great news – we’re ready to accept your entries for this year’s awards.
For schools new to Shine, register with us first, then we can provide guidance and encouragement from now til our entry deadline in May.
If you’ve got questions or need more support, we’re here to answer your questions at shine@stationers.org
Best wishes,
Richard Chapman
Chair, Shine School Media Awards