Youth competition

West Cumbria MRWS Partnership youth news competition

The West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership is holding a competition for young people to produce a balanced news report about a possible nuclear waste repository in West Cumbria.

The winner will receive £500 and there will be three runners up prizes of £150.

A repository would affect people in the area for many generations into the future. At this point we are only looking at whether the area should take part in the search for a site for a repository.

However, if there is a decision to take part in the search for a site, young people who are at school today would be involved in making the decisions about whether to remain in the process over the next decade or so, and ultimately in deciding whether to have a repository in West Cumbria.

Although there would still be a right to withdraw from this process during the search for a possible site, the decision that needs to be made now is an important one and we are keen for as many young people as possible to learn more about the issues involved and come to their own view about what would be best for the area.

How to enter

This competition aims to encourage young people to find out more about the issues involved and think about what a repository might mean for them, their family, friends and the area in general.

In order to take part you must be aged 18 or under on the closing date which is 12th March 2012.

To take part in the competition you need to produce:

We're looking for pieces that explore some of the issues that would be involved in West Cumbria taking part in the search for somewhere to put a repository for higher activity radioactive waste. More information is available at http://www.westcumbriamrws.or.uk/.

You could look at what it might mean for you, your family and friends, your community, and/or the rest of West Cumbria, the whole county and/or further afield.

The Partnership has produced some information and activities for use by schools and youth groups to explore the issues involved. This may help you prepare your competition entry. Please get in touch with Jenny Willis (jenny@3kq.co.uk or 07775 770190) if you would like a copy of these youth engagement materials.

We are not looking for pieces which make an argument either for or against taking part in the search for somewhere to put a repository. Instead you should aim to produce a fairly balanced report of the kind that you would expect to find on TV, radio or in a newspaper.

The winner will receive £500 and there will be three runners up prizes of £150.

Entries can be by an individual or a group, including a class. If winning entries are submitted on behalf of a class or a group the prize will be given to the school or organisation concerned.

The judges will be Jonathan Lee, Editor and Publishing Director of the North West Evening Mail; Sam Parker, a reporter for ITV Border; and Reverend Lindsay Gray who represents Churches Together in Cumbria on the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership.

Terms and Conditions

1. The competition is subject to the following terms and conditions. By entering this competition entrants are deemed to accept these terms and conditions.

2. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or under.

3. All entrants will need to provide proof of consent by a teacher, parent or guardian to enter the competition. The consent of a parent or guardian must also be obtained for anyone aged under 16 who appears in a DVD. The Organiser reserves the right to require further proof of the relevant consents.

4. Entries can be submitted by an individual or a group or class.

5. Entrants may submit multiple entries, but only one prize will be awarded per entrant.

6. An entry is an article up to 500 words or a film or audio podcast up to 4 minutes in length.

7. Entries must be submitted with a completed Entry Form and can either be emailed to contact@westcumbriamrws.org.uk (as long as the file size is below 5Mb) or posted to:

Freepost RSKT-LTXU-HAYC

West Cumbria MRWS Partnership

Copeland Borough Council

The Copeland Centre

Catherine Street

Whitehaven CA28 7SJ

8. For films we accept the following common file formats: avi.mov .qt .mpg .mpg2 .mpeg2 .mpeg4 .mp4.wmv .flv.

9. Entries must be received by 5pm on 12th March 2012. Entries received after the deadline may not be considered and the Partnership will not accept responsibility for any entries or files that are corrupt, damaged, lost or inaccessible.

10. Entries into the competition must be the original work of the person or people submitting the entry. Apart from images provided by the Partnership, entries must not contain any third party materials or content (eg video, audio, music, text, or image). The Partnership will not be responsible for breach of any copyright or other third party rights by the entrants.

11. At the discretion of the Competition Organiser, entries containing defamatory, offensive, obscene, inappropriate or illegal content will not be accepted.

12. The prizes are the following: A first prize of £500 and be three 3 runners up prizes of £150.

13. The winners will be chosen from all eligible entries by the panel of judges. The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

14. Winners will be notified by telephone or email and a list of prize winners will be published the Partnership’s website.

15. Winning entries may be uploaded onto the Partnership’s website, YouTube and/or Facebook page.

16. The Entrant shall retain all ownership rights in any entry to the competition. However, by submitting the entry the Entrant grants the Organiser a universal, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable and transferable licence to use the Entry in any and all media formats and through any media distribution.

17. By entering, any subsequent prize winners agree to allow, and consent to, the Partnership’s use of, and right to publish, entrant’s name, photographs, images, personal and other information (including general locations).

18. The Organiser of the competition is the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership