The Hugo Young Award is a political opinion writing competition for young people aged 16-25 who attend or have attended a state-funded secondary school in the UK. The award was set up in memory of Hugo Young, a former political columnist at The Guardian and is designed to inspire aspiring young journalists.

Entries for the 16-18 category must be between 500-700 words long and be linked to current local, national or international political events.

Entries are judged by a panel of Guardian journalists. The winning piece is published on The Guardian Foundation website and there are prizes for the winning author and their school.

Timetable:

• The competition opens for entries in January and runs until the end of February.
• The shortlist is announced in late February or early March.
• The winner is announced in March.

Cost: Free.

About The Guardian Foundation: The Guardian Foundation is a charity that promotes global press freedom and access to liberal journalism. They work with journalists, news organisations, audiences and educators, in schools and across communities to enhance people’s ability to evaluate news critically, facilitate opportunities for inclusion in media and build media capacity.