Amnesty International UK today formally launched the 2012 Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year competition.

The competition is open to students aged 7 to 18 from across the UK and is split into four categories: Upper Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and Sixth Form. It is run in association with The Guardian Teacher Network and MA Education, publishers of SecEd, Primary Teacher and Headteacher Update.

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said:

“Amnesty International is delighted to be partnering The Guardian Teacher Network and MA Education in launching the 2012 Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year competition.

“Journalists play such an important role in exposing human rights abuses and hopefully this competition can inspire a new generation to pick up that mantle.”

Victoria Najifi, teacher of the 2011 Lower Secondary category winner, 14 year-old Angus Kirk, added:

“The Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year Competition was literally the catalyst in the discovery of an abundance of journalistic talent at The King Edward VI School, Morpeth, and the realisation by the school, the community and beyond, that actually many of our young people know more about human rights issues than the adults.”

Articles should be 200-250 words long for the two younger categories and up to 500 words in length for the older age groups.

Entries will be accepted in both English and Welsh.

The competition closes on 31 January, with the top three entrants in each category invited to Amnesty’s headquarters for a prestigious awards ceremony on 9 May 2012.

Full details of how to enter can be found at www.amnesty.org.uk/youngreporter