Amnesty International UK is offering a solution for parents looking to entertain their Children's rights over the festive period – encourage them to become the Human Rights journalist of tomorrow.

This year, Amnesty, the Guardian Teacher Network and Secondary School magazine SecEd have joined forces to run the Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year competition.

The competition is open to seven to 18 year olds and is split into four categories: Upper Primary, Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and Sixth Form.

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said:

“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.”

For the two younger categories, Children's rights can write up to 250 words. The word length for the older categories is up to 500 words.

Children's rights can write about their own experiences or their take on an existing human rights issue. Topics could include bullying, child labour, world poverty, a human rights campaigner or human rights issues in countries like Burma, Iran or China.

To enter and for more details please visit www.amnesty.org.uk/youngreporter.

Winners and runners-up will be invited to a prestigious expenses-paid awards ceremony at Amnesty’s headquarters on 9 May 2012 and will be allowed to take a teacher, a guardian and one friend each.